Deshayla Harris death: Bad Girls Club star killed in Virginia Beach shooting, aged 29
Series of shootings took place in the area on Friday 26 March
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Bad Girls Club star Deshayla “Shay” Harris was shot and killed during a series of shootings in Virginia Beach on Friday (26 March), according to authorities.
A press release issued by the Virginia Beach Police department said Harris had been a bystander at the second shooting incident. She reportedly died at the scene.
Several other people were injured. Authorities are currently investigating whether the three shootings were related.
Harris had posted a video of herself on Instagram just hours before the shooting, with a caption that read: “I’m only doing s**t that’s gonna make me elevate!”
She appeared to be at a bar with friends.
Two security guards on duty nearby told The Virginian-Pilot that they witnessed the events unfold, including seeing the officer in pursuit of a man they believe to be the shooter.
They also saw a female victim get shot as she came out of the side door of the Nightmare Mansion on the corner of 20th Street and Atlantic Avenue.
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Harris was known for appearing in the 17th and final season of Bad Girls Club in 2017.
Nicknamed “The Firecracker Fashionista,” she was part of the winning East Coast team.
Her sister, Tashara “Shani” Harris, posted a tribute on Facebook the next day, saying her heart “hurt so bad”.
“I didn’t get a txt from you this morning, you broke my heart Deshayla Shay Harris, why you leave us like this? My heart hurt so bad,” she wrote, according to Page Six.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to Deshayla‘s family and loved ones,” the official Twitter account for the show posted.
Harris’s death comes just months after the deaths of fellow Bad Girls Club stars Whitney Collings and Demitra “Mimi” Roche.