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Witnesses: Uninvited guest shoots daughter and son of couple renewing 30-year vows

Posted at 7:44 PM, May 21, 2012
and last updated 2012-05-22 00:53:20-04

Sharon Norman works at Royal Courtyard Banquet Hall in Virginia Beach and planned the beautiful vow renewals that took place Saturday night.

“The couple had just renewed their 30th wedding anniversary vows. It was fabulous. The room looked like Paris,” said Norman.

No one could have imagined the amazing night nearly turned deadly for the couple's two adult children after police say 35-year-old Jermaine Belvin showed up at the party.

“To my understanding, he knew someone that was at the party. He was uninvited, and was asked to leave,” said Norman. “He started yelling, and they left to get him out of the building.”

It was the end of the night, about 10:30 p.m., when guests were coming out into the parking lot, and that’s when witnesses say the uninvited guest went into his car and grabbed a gun.

According to search warrants, Belvin started shooting into the crowd outside--bullets went flying through cars and ended up striking both the daughter and son of the couple renewing their vows.

“It was unreal, just unreal. I think we were all in shock, people were crying and screaming,” said Norman.

The daughter was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, but the son was sent to the hospital in critical condition.

The family has been at his bedside ever since.

“The mother is in shock, the father is in shock. We are praying, all we can do is pray,” said Norman.

Belvin, a Newport News Shipyard worker, is now charged with malicious wounding and use of a firearm.

Never before charged with a felony in his life, he remains in jail without bond, leaving lots of questions behind about why the shooting started in the first place.