PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Police say a 15-year-old boy died after a shooting on North Street early Sunday morning.
Just after 2 a.m., police said officers responded to a shots fired call in the 500 block of North Street. As officers headed to the scene, the upgraded to a gunshot wound.
When crews arrived, they found a 15-year-old boy suffering from "an injury consistent with being shot," according to police. The victim was transported to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Police have not released the age of the victim, however, the mother of 15-year-old Shanarde Wilson reached out to News 3 and confirmed that he was the teen shot and killed in the incident.
News 3's Conor Hollingsworth talked to some neighbors in the area, who say the neighborhood is usually very safe.
“It doesn’t matter how safe our little bubble is, if they don’t clean up the rest of Portsmouth it’s going to bleed over eventually," one neighbor, who goes by Andrea, said.
Local advocate, Bilal Muhammad, runs the group Stop The Violence Now. Muhammad lost both his brother and his son to gun violence and now works to bring the community together to bring an end to it.
Muhammad thinks it's going to take a community effort to stop the shootings, saying that it's important to wrap our arms around the younger generations.
“We act and we don’t think. We don’t think about the consequences. We don’t think about this young man's future,” he said.
This is an ongoing investigation, and there is no suspect information at this time.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call the Portsmouth Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division at (757) 393-8536 or 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
