{
  "id": "2019-02-26-old-dominion-university-dominion-house-armed-burglary",
  "slug": "old-dominion-university-dominion-house-armed-burglary-2019-02-26",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Old Dominion University",
    "shortName": "ODU",
    "state": "VA",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "ODU Urgent Alert",
    "enrollment": 24000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2019-02-26",
    "type": "burglary",
    "cleryCategory": "timely-warning",
    "headline": "Five Suspects Forced Their Way Into a Dominion House Dorm Room at Gunpoint, All Were Eventually Arrested",
    "summary": "Around 9 p.m. on [Tuesday, February 26, 2019, multiple people, at least one armed with a handgun, forced their way into a Dominion House dorm room](https://www.wtkr.com/2019/02/27/odu-police-investigating-after-on-campus-armed-burglary) that the residents knew, according to Old Dominion University Police, who issued a Clery Act alert the next day. No one was hurt, but ODU police increased patrols in the residential area. [Five people, all in their late teens, were ultimately arrested and charged with burglary](https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/people-with-gun-force-way-into-dorm-room-at-old-dominion-university/291-ec8f75e0-2f61-4a9a-a5ca-9dcd047ad1fd) and related firearm and abduction offenses.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "outcome": "Five suspects, Kaleb Corsey (18), Amiel Torrence (18), Asia Starks (19), Kiana Garber (18), and Zion Battle (19), all of Norfolk, were arrested and charged with burglary, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and conspiracy to commit burglary; several also faced abduction and concealed-weapon charges. No one was injured. One defendant was later sentenced to five years and three months in prison in connection with the case.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Wednesday, February 27, 2019, the day after multiple armed individuals forced their way into a Dominion House room",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "ODU ALERT - TIMELY WARNING: On Tuesday, February 26, 2019, at approximately 9:00 p.m., multiple individuals, at least one armed with a handgun, forced their way into a residence hall room at Dominion House. The individuals were known to the residents of the room. No injuries were reported. This is an ongoing investigation. ODU Police have increased patrols in the residential area. If you have information about this incident, contact ODU Police at 757-683-4000.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.wtkr.com/2019/02/27/odu-police-investigating-after-on-campus-armed-burglary",
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from WTKR's and 13News Now's reporting on the ODU Police timely warning issued February 27, 2019",
      "annotations": [
        "WTKR reported ODU issued the alert on February 27, one day after the incident occurred at approximately 9:00 p.m. on February 26 at Dominion House",
        "The 'known to the residents' detail, reported by 13News Now, is a common pattern in campus armed burglaries: acquaintance-based entry rather than a stranger forcing open a locked, unfamiliar door",
        "Dominion House is one of ODU's on-campus residence halls; increased patrols were the university's immediate mitigation while the investigation was ongoing"
      ],
      "characterCount": 464
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "follow-up",
      "timestampApprox": "On or shortly before March 4, 2019, once ODU Police and Norfolk-area investigators identified and arrested all five suspects",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "ODU ALERT UPDATE: ODU Police have arrested five individuals in connection with the February 26 armed burglary at Dominion House. All five face charges including burglary, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and conspiracy to commit burglary; some face additional abduction and weapons charges. None of the suspects were ODU students. ODU Police thank the community for its assistance with this investigation.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/people-with-gun-force-way-into-dorm-room-at-old-dominion-university/291-ec8f75e0-2f61-4a9a-a5ca-9dcd047ad1fd",
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from 13News Now's and WAVY's reporting on the five arrests and subsequent charges",
      "annotations": [
        "13News Now listed the five suspects as Kaleb Corsey, Amiel Torrence, Asia Starks, Kiana Garber, and Zion Battle, all 18 or 19 and all from Norfolk, none of whom were ODU students",
        "Torrence, Garber, and Battle each also faced an abduction charge in addition to burglary and firearm counts, reflecting that the room's residents were held against their will during the incident",
        "WAVY's later coverage of the case's court proceedings reported at least one defendant was sentenced to five years and three months in prison"
      ],
      "characterCount": 420
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "ODU Police investigating after on-campus armed burglary",
      "url": "https://www.wtkr.com/2019/02/27/odu-police-investigating-after-on-campus-armed-burglary",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police arrest five after people with gun burglarize Old Dominion University dorm room",
      "url": "https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/people-with-gun-force-way-into-dorm-room-at-old-dominion-university/291-ec8f75e0-2f61-4a9a-a5ca-9dcd047ad1fd",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "ODU Police arrest five people in connection with on-campus armed burglary",
      "url": "https://www.wtkr.com/2019/03/04/odu-police-arrest-five-people-in-connection-with-on-campus-armed-burglary",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Suspects connected to 2019 armed robbery at ODU on-campus residence hall go to court",
      "url": "https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/norfolk/suspects-connected-in-2019-armed-robbery-at-odu-on-campus-residence-hall-go-to-court/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Man in 2019 armed robbery on-campus at ODU sentenced to 5 years 3 months",
      "url": "https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/norfolk/man-in-2019-armed-robbery-on-campus-at-odu-sentenced-to-5-years-3-months/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Old Dominion University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Dominion_University) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. Around 9 p.m. on [Tuesday, February 26, 2019, multiple individuals, at least one armed with a handgun, forced their way into a room at Dominion House](https://www.wtkr.com/2019/02/27/odu-police-investigating-after-on-campus-armed-burglary), an on-campus residence hall; ODU Police said the intruders were known to the residents of the room and that no one was injured. ODU issued a Clery Act timely warning the following day and increased patrols in the residential area while the investigation continued. [13News Now reported](https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/people-with-gun-force-way-into-dorm-room-at-old-dominion-university/291-ec8f75e0-2f61-4a9a-a5ca-9dcd047ad1fd) that within roughly a week, ODU Police and local investigators identified and arrested five suspects, all 18 or 19 years old and from Norfolk, none of them ODU students: Kaleb Corsey, Amiel Torrence, Asia Starks, Kiana Garber, and Zion Battle. All five faced burglary, firearm, and conspiracy charges, and three also faced abduction charges reflecting that the room's occupants were held against their will during the break-in. [WAVY's later court coverage](https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/norfolk/man-in-2019-armed-robbery-on-campus-at-odu-sentenced-to-5-years-3-months/) reported at least one defendant was ultimately sentenced to more than five years in prison. The case illustrates a distinct category of campus burglary: not an anonymous property crime but an armed, acquaintance-based home invasion carried out by non-students against residents they knew, with charges escalating well beyond simple burglary once a firearm and detention of the victims were involved.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Multiple individuals, at least one armed with a handgun, forced their way into an occupied Dominion House dorm room at approximately 9:00 p.m. on February 26, 2019",
    "The intruders were reportedly known to the residents of the room, an acquaintance-based pattern distinct from a random stranger break-in",
    "All five arrested suspects were 18 or 19-year-old Norfolk residents; none were ODU students",
    "Three of the five suspects faced an additional abduction charge, reflecting that the residents were held against their will during the incident",
    "At least one defendant was later sentenced to more than five years in prison, illustrating the serious criminal exposure that follows an armed campus burglary even when no one is physically injured"
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "burglary",
    "armed",
    "residence-hall",
    "abduction",
    "virginia",
    "public-r1",
    "2010s",
    "suspect-arrested",
    "firearm",
    "non-student-perpetrator"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-07-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-03",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}