HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — It was a violent weekend in Hampton Roads with two deadly shootings and one shooting with serious injuries in three cities, according to police.
In Portsmouth Sunday night, police responded to a call for a shooting. They found a 28-year-old man near Mount Vernon Avenue who had been shot; he later died at the hospital.
On Saturday in Hampton, a security guard at Coasters Beach Grill was shot and has serious injuries.
Watch related coverage: Portsmouth police investigating after fatal shooting, crash
Sunday evening, in Chesapeake, police say a man was shot at a gas station off of West Military Highway. He died at the scene.
In all three of these cases, no arrests have been made.
“I think it’s incredibly disheartening, sadly it’s not shocking,” said Alex De Paula.
De Paula is the program director of an initiative called Safer Together. Safer Together is funded by the Department of Justice and includes area hospitals and community organizations. Their goal is the intervention and prevention of gun violence.
“This has become a part of our daily narrative," said De Paula.
He says the solution has to be a team effort that involves law enforcement, local governments, public schools, hospitals, faith-based organizations and more.
“If you think of community violence as a big puzzle, there’s a piece that every key stakeholder has to play,” said De Paula. “It’s not going to happen overnight, it’s not going to happen from one individual or one entity.”
After this weekend of gun violence, Portsmouth is at 17 homicides so far this year. The city with the next closest number is Norfolk at 8.
