Central Valley High School grad among three Navy corpsmen dead after Virginia shooting

A 19-year-old woman, described by her family as a “bright light” with a contagious smile and who grew up in Spokane County, was shot and killed over the weekend in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Shianne T. Soles, of Veradale, enlisted in the U.S. Navy in July after graduating from Central Valley High School and Spokane Community College, where she made the honor roll and earned an associate degree through the Running Start program.

The Virginian-Pilot reported that Soles and another Navy corpsman, Meaghan Burns, 23, of Massachusetts, were killed just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday at a 7-Eleven store about a mile and a half from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, where they were stationed. Both women were shot in their torsos.

While police canvassed the scene at the 7-Eleven, they were directed to a vehicle in a nearby Dollar General parking lot, where they found a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his upper body, the Virginian-Pilot reported.

The man, identified as Navy Corpsman Donavon Moora, 22, of New York, died at the scene. He had been stationed in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

The shootings, which were described as a double homicide and suicide, remain under investigation by Portsmouth police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

In a statement, Soles’ family said she had a desire to be part of something bigger than herself, which influenced her decision to join the Navy.

“Her desire to excel in everything she did led her to many different adventures,” the family said. “From dance to cheer, track and work, school and Navy, she excelled in all that she did. She was driven, focused, and brave until her light faded too soon. There are no words that can describe the pain we feel or the pain that we see within our support group around us.”