Chozen Gray

Chozen Gray was a two-year-old boy from Hampton, Virginia, whose short life ended on the night of September 23 into the early hours of September 24, 2026, when he was shot and killed on LaSalle Avenue in his hometown. He was too young to have built any public record of work or achievement, and nothing about him was known outside his family and neighborhood until the shooting made him, briefly and tragically, a name known across the Hampton Roads region.

<cite index="1-1,1-2">A 2-year-old boy died after a shooting on LaSalle Avenue in Hampton, with police saying the boy was found shot in a car around 8:30 p.m. in the 600 block of LaSalle Avenue.</cite> <cite index="0-1,0-2">Officers arriving on scene found the boy suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was taken to the hospital but was later pronounced deceased.</cite> <cite index="2-2,2-3">Police said the motive and circumstances surrounding the shooting remained under investigation, and added that all parties believed to have been present at the time of the shooting stayed at the scene, with no outside suspect search underway.</cite>

Early police statements referred to the victim only as a two year old boy, without releasing his name, which is common practice while relatives are notified and an investigation continues. In the days that followed, people who knew the family and members of the Hampton community began identifying him publicly as Chozen Gray, and local coverage described a community mourning a toddler whose death by gunfire struck many as especially cruel given his age.

Chozen's death added his name to a painful, recurring category of local news: a small child killed by gunfire in circumstances that authorities have not fully explained to the public. Neighbors and community members described shock and grief at losing a child so young, and his story became part of a broader conversation in Hampton about gun violence reaching even the youngest residents, though police have not said whether the shooting resulted from negligent storage, a dispute among adults, or some other cause.

As of this writing, no funeral or memorial details have been made public, no suspect has been named, and Hampton Police have not issued a final statement on the motive or circumstances of the shooting. This page will be updated as verified information becomes available.