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ODU student: ‘All I remember is seeing the sparks of the gun when he first started shooting’

Posted at 4:25 PM, Sep 20, 2014
and last updated 2014-09-22 06:35:08-04

UPDATE: ODU Police released a statement about the shooting: "Norfolk Police are leading the the investigation into the incident, which is in its very early stages. Old Dominion University Police is assisting with the investigation of the incident. We ask anyone with information about the incident to contact Norfolk Police or ODU Police. We take seriously the issue of safety on campus and in the surrounding areas. In August, we launched a comprehensive educational campaign at ODU that seeks to promote a culture of safety and responsibility."

Norfolk, Va.- At around 1:15 a.m. Saturday morning, an ODU student was shot near Killam Avenue and 43rd Street.

Jerica Carmichael was hit in the back, but was not seriously hurt. The ODU junior said she had left a friend's house when she saw a group of men arguing. Then, she heard gunshots. "All I remember is seeing the sparks of the gun when he first started shooting and then I ran," she said.

Carmichael was taken to Sentara Norfolk and remained there for about six hours.

She's trying to stay positive about what happened, but said she's not sure how someone could do this. "It's sad that you can just run away and see that you've hurt someone innocently that didn't even having anything to do with you."

The suspect is described as a tall, slender, black man in his mid-20's. He was last seen wearing a red shirt and dark pants.

The suspect left the scene northbound on Killam Avenue in a dark colored sedan vehicle.

The Norfolk Police Department is leading the investigation, with assistance from the ODUPD.

Anyone who may have information about this incident should contact the Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-Lock-U-Up (888-562-5887) or the Old Dominion University Police Department at 757-683-4000 or via the ODU LiveSafe app.