Pharrell Williams says his cousin was killed by Virginia police last week

Singer Pharrell Williams said Monday that his cousin Donovon Lynch was killed by police in a shooting in Virginia Beach, Va., on Saturday.

“The loss of these lives is a tragedy beyond measure. My cousin Donovon was killed during the shootings. It is critical my family and the other victims’ families get the transparency they deserve,” Williams wrote on Twitter along with a photo of his cousin.

The loss of these lives is a tragedy beyond measure. My cousin Donovon was killed during the shootings. It is critical my family and the other victims’ families get the transparency they deserve. VA Beach is the epitome of hope and we will get through this. pic.twitter.com/npGxhbRwLk

— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) March 29, 2021

According to authorities, a uniformed Virginia Beach Police Department officer came across an armed citizen on Saturday, resulting in a police-involved shooting. The victim, later identified as Lynch, died at the scene.

At the time of the shooting, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department, Lynch, 25, was brandishing a handgun, which was recovered at the scene.

The department responded to two other nearby shootings that night. In total, two people were killed in the incidents, and eight were injured. The other victim was identified as 28-year-old Deshayla Harris.

Virginia Beach Chief of Police Paul Neudigate on Tuesday revealed that he formally requested an investigation into Lynch’s death, adding that the Lynch family deserves “a comprehensive and thorough investigation into this incident.”

“The Lynch family and the involved officer each deserve a comprehensive and thorough investigation into this incident, and we appreciate the public’s patience as we pursue every facet of it,” the statement posted to Twitter reads.

On Monday, police disclosed that prosecutors are also conducting a separate investigation into the incident, according to CBS News.

Neudigate also told reporters that the body camera on the officer who shot Lynch was not activated for “unknown reasons,” according to CBS.

On Saturday, the police department announced that three suspects had been arrested and charged with seven counts of felonious assault, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and reckless handling of a firearm.