2 Virginia Beach Police Officers Shot and Killed During a Traffic Stop: 'Our Hearts Are Heavy'

Two officers with the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) are dead after being killed in the line of duty, according to authorities.

The VBPD announced the news in a post on X on Saturday, Feb. 22, stating that the two officers — whose identities have not yet been released — were “shot” on Friday, Feb. 21. 

According to WTKR-TV, WVEC-TV and the Associated Press, the officers were involved in a traffic stop near the intersection of Lynnhaven Parkway and Wendfield Drive around 11:30 p.m. local time when the incident occurred.

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Jody Saunders with the VBPD’s public affairs office initially released a statement to WTKR-TV, stating that one of the officers was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other had been seriously injured.

She later said in an update to the news station that the other police officer “succumbed to his wounds” the following morning.

The incident remains an “active investigation,” the VBPD said in its social media post, adding that “there is no active threat.”

The department further asked for the public’s “patience and understanding” as they work to “put the pieces of this tragic event together,” “make notifications” and “grieve the loss of two of our own.”

The VBPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Feb. 22.

In a social media tribute, Va. congresswoman Jen Kiggans said the Virginia Beach community was mourning the loss together.

“Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the loss of two heroic Virginia Beach police officers who were tragically killed in the line of duty last night,” she wrote on X.

Kiggans added, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, the Virginia Beach police department, and the law enforcement community.”

Senator Bill DeSteph, who represents parts of Virginia Beach, also shared on X that he was “so terribly saddened” by the “profound loss.”