VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Two days after a teen girl was killed in a shooting just outside the Mt. Trashmore Summer Carnival, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer said he is looking to get ahead of gun violence this summer.
We're following through on this story that shook the community over the weekend as the fun festivities turned violent.
"This is a very difficult thing for a family," Dyer said. "I can only imagine what they are going through."
Watch: Full interview with Mayor Dyer about Mt. Trashmore carnival violence
On Saturday night, a fight had started at the Mt. Trashmore Summer Carnival, police say.
It was broken up initially by off-duty VB sheriff's deputies who worked for the event. But the fight later continued in a parking lot off Edwin Drive just offsite.
Someone — police do not know who — fired a gun, killing a 15-year-old girl and critically injuring an 18-year-old man.
As of Monday, Virginia Beach Police said the 18-year-old has life-threatening injuries but is stable.
Police have yet to name the two victims or describe how they were involved in the incident.
Dyer said Monday he is working with Mayor Donnie Tuck of Hampton to call for an emergency meeting of the Youth Violence Task Force.
"I made some calls [Sunday], and we're going to be convening and expediting getting together on an emergency basis," Dyer said. "Once again, this is happening to every city in the 757, and it's happening nationally and we're going to confront it aggressively."
Virginia Beach
Girl, 15, killed in shooting near Mt. Trashmore carnival
Because of the holiday weekend, Dyer said the meeting should be happening in the coming days.
In past, the task force has outlined issues that cause this type of violence throughout Hampton Roads.
"If there was any easy solution to this, this would not have only been fixed decades ago but generations ago," Dyer said. "But be assured we in Virginia Beach and the region are confronting this."
So far this year, three teens have been killed by gun violence in Virginia Beach.
At the start of this month, 16-year-old Jordan Williams was shot and killed while trying to run home in College Park.
In March, a 14-year-old was killed after a group of teens had mishandled a gun and it went off.
If you know anything about the Mt. Trashmore incident, VBPD ask you to call Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
Virginia Beach Police have also set up an online portal where you can submit photos or videos related to this incident.
