One person was arrested and charged, and police said they are still searching for two suspects
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Eight people were injured in a shooting in Virginia Beach that police said involved two groups who exchanged shots
- Officers were called to the coastal city’s 1400 block of Atlantic Avenue after receiving reports of gunfire at around 9:50 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 11
- One person was arrested and charged, and police said they are still searching for two suspects
Eight people were injured in a shooting in Virginia Beach that involved two groups who exchanged shots.
According to the Virginia Beach Police Department, officers were called to the coastal city's 1400 block of Atlantic Avenue after receiving reports of gunfire at around 9:50 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 11.
At the scene, officers found eight people — including a 24-year-old woman, two 18-year-old men, a 20-year-old man, a 17-year-old girl, a 17-year-old boy and a 20-year-old woman — who had sustained gunshot wounds.
The victims were taken to local hospitals and are expected to survive, police said. Their injuries ranged from non-life-threatening to serious.
Investigators later found that the shooting initially broke out after an altercation between two "unrelated groups of young adults and juveniles." At least three people exchanged gunfire during the confrontation.
Credit: Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty
Police eventually arrested one of the people who was shot — 18-year-old Jamaya Williams of Henrico County, Va. — and investigators said two suspects fled the scene.
Authorities alleged that Williams, who is currently in custody, was in illegal possession of two firearms. She was charged with seven counts of aggravated assault, seven counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, seven counts of reckless handling of a firearm with injury and three counts of violations of a protective order, per the Virginia Beach Police Department.
Police said they are currently searching for two other suspects — an unidentified man and 18-year-old Isaiah Charity of Richmond, Va., who has outstanding warrants for eight counts each of aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and reckless handling of a firearm with injury.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Saturday's shooting came just weeks after six bystanders were injured in another shooting on Atlantic Avenue, according to the Virginian-Pilot and WAVY.
Following the March 7 incident, the city enacted a curfew on weekends through the end of April that prohibits unaccompanied minors from being at the Oceanfront from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Deputy Chief William Zelms told reporters that there was no ongoing threat to the community.
"We know that when an incident like this happens, it causes concern," Zelms said, per 13NewsNow. "That’s why we take these so seriously, and we will do everything we can to continue to ensure the public’s safety."
"This is an ongoing investigation," Virginia Beach police added. "Suspects #2 and #3 are still outstanding, and VBPD is asking for anyone with information or possible video from this incident to contact VBPD at (757) 385-4101 or anonymously through Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or P3Tips.com."
Read the full article here
