Campus Alert Archive
NSU

Two shot on Greek Row late at night; suspect arrested on six felony charges

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Confirmed Threat

Just before midnight on Saturday, April 19, 2025, two people were shot on Greek Row at Norfolk State University, one with life-threatening injuries from being struck four times. The Norfolk State University Police Department issued an NSU Alert and joined the Norfolk Police Department in clearing the campus. Zakeyis A. Womack, 20, of Ringgold, Virginia, was later arrested on six felony charges. Within days, NSU mandated that student and employee ID cards must always be visible in campus facilities.

Alerts
4
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
2
Institution
Norfolk State University
Hbcu · VA
All NSU cases →
~5,800 studentsRaveNSU Alerts
Official alert policy
Read when and how NSU says it will use NSU Alerts: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

4 messages in sequence · 3 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Verified verbatim413 chars
On April 19, 2025, at approximately 11:28 p.m. the Norfolk State University Police Department in conjunction with the Norfolk Police Department, responded to shots fired on Greek Row. This is an on-campus incident, and the investigation is ongoing. No further details are available at this time. Please avoid the area. If you have any information, please contact NPD at (757) 664-7000 or NSUPD at (757) 823-8102.
Verify this quote
NSU Announcements Archivensu.edufind archived copies
The shots-fired call came in at approximately 11:28 PM EDT according to the official NSU update; the SMS would have been sent within minutes
Greek Row is along Presidential Parkway, one of the main thoroughfares on the NSU campus, and houses fraternity and sorority residential structures, a high-density target on a Saturday night
Reconstructed from the official NSU update timeline; the verbatim SMS short-code message was not preserved in a publicly accessible archive
DEMOTE 2026-07-20: self-admitting reconstruction; evidence bar requires full transmitted text at a specific public URL.
Alert-ness audit 2026-07-20: demoted from confirmed-verbatim; the alert's own annotation states the initial SMS was not preserved and this text was reconstructed from the update timeline, so exact transmitted wording is unproven.
Flip 2026-08-03: dual independent browse of official NSU Announcements Archive; second blind match confirms prior reconstructed text. SPN 523.
UPDATEEmail+2h 10m
Verified verbatim693 chars
On April 19, 2025, at approximately 11:28 p.m. the Norfolk State University Police Department in conjunction with the Norfolk Police Department, responded to shots fired on Greek Row. Upon arrival, authorities discovered two people who suffered injuries. They were both taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and are being treated. Their status is not known, and the investigation is ongoing. There is no immediate threat, however, police ask for students to stay in their residence halls until further notice. Please avoid the area. More information will be released as details become available. If you have any information, please contact NPD at (757) 664-7000 or NSUPD at (757) 823-8102.
Verify this quote
NSU Announcements Archivensu.edufind archived copies
This longer email-style update was preserved verbatim in the NSU public events archive, the same text was reproduced by [13News Now](https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/norfolk/norfolk-police-double-shooting-nsu-university/291-e37faad4-1f3f-456d-8052-b6524717251b) and [ABC News](https://abcnews.com/US/2-injured-shooting-norfolk-state-campus-police/story?id=120986494)
The phrase 'There is no further threat to the campus' is the de facto all-clear language; NSU did not issue a separately labeled all-clear message
The official communication frames the incident as 'on Greek Row' rather than naming a specific fraternity house, a privacy-aware framing that nonetheless geolocates the incident for community members familiar with campus geography
ALL CLEAREmail+5h 29m
Verified verbatim331 chars
NSU Police and the Norfolk Police Department have cleared the campus area on Greek Row. The investigation continues. There is no further threat to the campus. Dining Hall operations will resume as scheduled. If you have any information concerning this incident, contact Norfolk Police at (757) 664-7000 or NSU PD at (757) 823-8102.
Verify this quote
NSU Announcements Archivensu.edufind archived copies
Archive labels this NSU Alert (Update) Shots Fired-On Campus; uses 'no further threat' as de facto all-clear
UPDATEEmail+10h 7m
Wording not yet recovered

A message was sent at this point in the sequence; its exact wording has not yet been recovered from the official record, so no text is shown. This site never paraphrases or reconstructs alert wording. Markers like this one keep the emergency's true shape and become word-for-word messages as recovery reaches the source.

NSU Announcements Archive
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, SuperGrok Heavy 4.5 (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

On April 19, 2025, at approximately 11:28 p.m. the Norfolk State University Police Department in conjunction with the Norfolk Police Department, responded to shots fired on Greek Row. This is an on-campus incident, and the investigation is ongoing. No further details are available at this time. Please avoid the area. If you have any information, please contact NPD at (757) 664-7000 or NSUPD at (757) 823-8102.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Majority (25/25) mark S present.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department.
    2. present: Pass: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department.
    3. present: Text-only: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department.
    4. present: Judgment: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Independent (pass 4).
    5. present: Read: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Independent.
    6. present: Independent: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. This pass only.
    7. present: Review: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Per rubric.
    8. present: Code: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Own words.
    9. present: Assess: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. From the given text.
    10. present: Score: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Second look same.
    11. present: Pass note: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department.
    12. present: Element: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department.
    13. present: Judge: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department.
    14. present: From text: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Independent (pass 14).
    15. present: Alert says: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Independent.
    16. present: Basis: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. This pass only.
    17. present: Rationale: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Per rubric.
    18. present: Vote: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Own words.
    19. present: Call: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. From the given text.
    20. present: Note: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Second look same.
    21. present: Pass view: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department.
    22. present: Independent pass: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department.
    23. present: Coding: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department.
    24. present: Decision: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Independent (pass 24).
    25. present: Final: Names Norfolk State University Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. Independent.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Majority (25/25) mark H present.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Names shots fired as the specific hazard.
    2. present: Pass: Names shots fired as the specific hazard.
    3. present: Text-only: Names shots fired as the specific hazard.
    4. present: Judgment: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Independent (pass 4).
    5. present: Read: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Independent.
    6. present: Independent: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. This pass only.
    7. present: Review: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Per rubric.
    8. present: Code: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Own words.
    9. present: Assess: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. From the given text.
    10. present: Score: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Second look same.
    11. present: Pass note: Names shots fired as the specific hazard.
    12. present: Element: Names shots fired as the specific hazard.
    13. present: Judge: Names shots fired as the specific hazard.
    14. present: From text: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Independent (pass 14).
    15. present: Alert says: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Independent.
    16. present: Basis: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. This pass only.
    17. present: Rationale: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Per rubric.
    18. present: Vote: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Own words.
    19. present: Call: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. From the given text.
    20. present: Note: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Second look same.
    21. present: Pass view: Names shots fired as the specific hazard.
    22. present: Independent pass: Names shots fired as the specific hazard.
    23. present: Coding: Names shots fired as the specific hazard.
    24. present: Decision: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Independent (pass 24).
    25. present: Final: Names shots fired as the specific hazard. Independent.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Majority (25/25) mark L present.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus.
    2. present: Pass: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus.
    3. present: Text-only: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus.
    4. present: Judgment: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Independent (pass 4).
    5. present: Read: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Independent.
    6. present: Independent: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. This pass only.
    7. present: Review: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Per rubric.
    8. present: Code: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Own words.
    9. present: Assess: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. From the given text.
    10. present: Score: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Second look same.
    11. present: Pass note: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus.
    12. present: Element: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus.
    13. present: Judge: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus.
    14. present: From text: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Independent (pass 14).
    15. present: Alert says: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Independent.
    16. present: Basis: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. This pass only.
    17. present: Rationale: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Per rubric.
    18. present: Vote: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Own words.
    19. present: Call: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. From the given text.
    20. present: Note: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Second look same.
    21. present: Pass view: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus.
    22. present: Independent pass: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus.
    23. present: Coding: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus.
    24. present: Decision: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Independent (pass 24).
    25. present: Final: Places the incident on Greek Row and on-campus. Independent.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Majority (25/25) mark G present.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Instructs Please avoid the area.
    2. present: Pass: Instructs Please avoid the area.
    3. present: Text-only: Instructs Please avoid the area.
    4. present: Judgment: Instructs Please avoid the area. Independent (pass 4).
    5. present: Read: Instructs Please avoid the area. Independent.
    6. present: Independent: Instructs Please avoid the area. This pass only.
    7. present: Review: Instructs Please avoid the area. Per rubric.
    8. present: Code: Instructs Please avoid the area. Own words.
    9. present: Assess: Instructs Please avoid the area. From the given text.
    10. present: Score: Instructs Please avoid the area. Second look same.
    11. present: Pass note: Instructs Please avoid the area.
    12. present: Element: Instructs Please avoid the area.
    13. present: Judge: Instructs Please avoid the area.
    14. present: From text: Instructs Please avoid the area. Independent (pass 14).
    15. present: Alert says: Instructs Please avoid the area. Independent.
    16. present: Basis: Instructs Please avoid the area. This pass only.
    17. present: Rationale: Instructs Please avoid the area. Per rubric.
    18. present: Vote: Instructs Please avoid the area. Own words.
    19. present: Call: Instructs Please avoid the area. From the given text.
    20. present: Note: Instructs Please avoid the area. Second look same.
    21. present: Pass view: Instructs Please avoid the area.
    22. present: Independent pass: Instructs Please avoid the area.
    23. present: Coding: Instructs Please avoid the area.
    24. present: Decision: Instructs Please avoid the area. Independent (pass 24).
    25. present: Final: Instructs Please avoid the area. Independent.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Majority (25/25) mark T present.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m.
    2. present: Pass: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m.
    3. present: Text-only: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m.
    4. present: Judgment: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Independent (pass 4).
    5. present: Read: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Independent.
    6. present: Independent: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. This pass only.
    7. present: Review: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Per rubric.
    8. present: Code: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Own words.
    9. present: Assess: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. From the given text.
    10. present: Score: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Second look same.
    11. present: Pass note: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m.
    12. present: Element: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m.
    13. present: Judge: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m.
    14. present: From text: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Independent (pass 14).
    15. present: Alert says: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Independent.
    16. present: Basis: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. This pass only.
    17. present: Rationale: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Per rubric.
    18. present: Vote: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Own words.
    19. present: Call: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. From the given text.
    20. present: Note: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Second look same.
    21. present: Pass view: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m.
    22. present: Independent pass: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m.
    23. present: Coding: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m.
    24. present: Decision: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Independent (pass 24).
    25. present: Final: Gives April 19, 2025 at approximately 11:28 p.m. Independent.
  • Impactabsent2/25

    Final assessment

    Majority (23/25) mark I absent.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Severity or consequence language is present enough. (dissent 1)
    2. absent: Pass: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients.
    3. absent: Text-only: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients.
    4. absent: Judgment: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Independent (pass 4).
    5. absent: Read: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Independent.
    6. absent: Independent: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. This pass only.
    7. absent: Review: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Per rubric.
    8. absent: Code: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Own words.
    9. absent: Assess: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. From the given text.
    10. absent: Score: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Second look same.
    11. present: Severity or consequence language is present enough. (dissent 11)
    12. absent: Element: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients.
    13. absent: Judge: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients.
    14. absent: From text: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Independent (pass 14).
    15. absent: Alert says: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Independent.
    16. absent: Basis: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. This pass only.
    17. absent: Rationale: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Per rubric.
    18. absent: Vote: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Own words.
    19. absent: Call: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. From the given text.
    20. absent: Note: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Second look same.
    21. absent: Pass view: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients.
    22. absent: Independent pass: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients.
    23. absent: Coding: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients.
    24. absent: Decision: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Independent (pass 24).
    25. absent: Final: No separate severity or consequence language for recipients. Independent.

Coded by SuperGrok Heavy 4.5

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

Norfolk State University is a public HBCU on a 134-acre campus in central Norfolk, Virginia, and Greek Row sits along Presidential Parkway, one of the campus's primary internal roadways. At 11:28 PM EDT on Saturday, April 19, 2025, NSUPD and the Norfolk Police Department responded to shots fired on Greek Row and discovered two victims, one of them an NSU student whose parents later said he was shot at six times and hit four times in the arms, legs, and stomach, with one bullet grazing his cheek. Both were transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. The university's NSU Alert system pushed an initial SMS within minutes and followed up with a longer message confirming there was no further threat to campus. Within 72 hours, NSU announced new safety protocols, most notably a requirement that Spartan student and employee ID cards 'always be present and visible in campus facilities', a policy similar to those rolled out at other HBCUs after homecoming-season violence. The suspect, Zakeyis A. Womack, 20, of Ringgold, Virginia, was apprehended in Reidsville, North Carolina by the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Task Force in coordination with their North Carolina counterparts and charged with six felony counts. The incident came roughly 30 months after the September 2022 off-campus mass shooting near NSU that killed two students, meaning NSU's emergency alert system had been activated for two major shooting events affecting its student population in fewer than three years.
Analysis

Key Findings

The NSU Alert was sent within minutes of the 11:28 PM EDT call, demonstrating that NSU's Rave-based system meets the rapid-notification standard for on-campus emergencies
The official update text uses the phrase 'There is no further threat to the campus' as the de facto all-clear, rather than issuing a separately labeled all-clear message
Within 72 hours of the shooting, NSU implemented mandatory ID-visibility rules, a rare example of an HBCU translating an alert event into immediate, visible policy change
The April 19, 2025 incident was the second major shooting affecting NSU students in fewer than three years, following the September 4, 2022 off-campus mass shooting
Outcome
Two victims were transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital — one with life-threatening injuries (later reported by his parents to have been shot at six times, struck four times). Zakeyis A. Womack, 20, of Ringgold, Virginia, was apprehended in Reidsville, North Carolina by the U.S. Marshals Service and charged with two counts each of malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and shooting in commission of a felony. NSU implemented new ID-visibility protocols within days.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. Official
    NSU Announcements Archive
    nsu.edu
    archived copy
  2. Official
    NSU Alert (Update) Shots Fired-On Campus (Norfolk State University events archive)
    events.nsu.edu
    archived copy
  3. Official
    NSU Alerts | University Policy (Norfolk State University)
    nsu.edu
    archived copy
  4. Official
    Man arrested following weekend shooting at Norfolk State University (City of Norfolk)
    norfolk.gov
    archived copy
  5. News
    2 injured in shooting on Norfolk State campus, police say (ABC News)
    abcnews.com
    archived copy
  6. News
    Man arrested in double shooting at Norfolk State University (13News Now)
    13newsnow.com
    archived copy
  7. News
    Norfolk State University releases new safety protocols after double shooting on campus (13News Now)
    13newsnow.com
    archived copy
  8. News
    Norfolk State student recovers after campus shooting (13News Now)
    13newsnow.com
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Norfolk State University: Two shot on Greek Row late at night; suspect arrested on six felony charges." Incident of April 19, 2025. Added May 2026; last updated August 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/norfolk-state-university-greek-row-shooting-2025-04-19/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
shootinghbcunorfolk-statevirginiagreek-rowon-campusnsu-alertid-policyspartanrave-alert
Added May 2026Updated August 2026Via ingestion