At least two people were killed and eight others seriously wounded after a shooting at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Friday night. Several of those people injured have "possibly life-threatening injuries" police confirmed. Virginia Beach EMS said multiple people had been transported to the hospital. Police have asked people to avoid the area as they work the scene.
Virginia Beach police have also detained three people but the reason for their detention was not immediately clear as they continue to investigate the shooting. There are chances of more casualties, with reports of people running for cover coming in as police get busy in rescue operations.
Another Tragedy
Virginia Beach police Chief Paul Neudigate said that at least 10 people have been shot and the numbers could increase. At least two people have been confirmed dead. One was killed by police "in a police intervention shooting," while another person died from gunfire away from the scene. Eight people were shot at the first scene, the chief said.
Gunfire broke out after 11 pm near the oceanfront, and eight victims were discovered, Neudigate said. Shortly after, more shots were fired nearby, while an officer fatally shot a suspect, the chief said.
A second person was fatally shot in an incident, which police do not believe is related to the other shootings. Police is not sure if these were two separate shootings and is trying to ascertain it. It appears to be "a separate shooting incident that we're still trying to piece together," Neudigate said.
Some of the surviving victims sustained life-threatening injuries, the Virginia Beach Police Department tweeted early Saturday.
Chaos All Around
Neudigate said the initial crime scene was at 20th Street and Atlantic Avenue in the oceanfront section of the city at 11:24 pm, WAVY reported. "It was a very chaotic incident," Neudigate said at a news conference early Saturday. "A very chaotic night in the beach. Many different crime scenes."
He also told that there are reports of additional shots fired in the area of 20th Street and Pacific Avenue. That resulted in an "individual being confronted by a uniformed Virginia Beach police officer." That person was fatally shot by the officer, Neudigate said.
During the response one officer was also injured after being struck by a car. He has since been transported to a hospital but the injuries are not considered life-threatening.
However, no suspects have been arrested so far in the shootings, Neudigate said. "We'll be doing our due diligence to find the people involved in this and hold them accountable," he said.
Six gunshot patients were being treated at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital early Saturday following a shooting on Atlantic Avenue, the hospital said.
