CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Two people died and one person was injured following a shooting in Chesapeake Saturday night.
The Chesapeake Police Department said it happened in the 1200 block of N. George Washington Hwy. That's near the intersection of Canal Drive.
According to the department, officers who were in that area of Deep Creek heard gunshots around 11 p.m. and they found three people who had been hurt.
Two were hit by bullets. The third was hit by a fragment of some kind. That third person had minor injuries and didn't have to go to the hospital.
The other two people who were hit died. They were married.
Police said Tuesday that Collin Earl Smith-Aiken, 22, of Portsmouth shot his wife, then shot himself. His wife was Aniece Marie Gonzalez, 20, of Porstmouth.
Now two families are dealing with the loss of their loved ones.
Chesapeake police say Smith-Aiken shot and killed his wife while she was driving. Police said he also shot at a car, and that bullet grazed an innocent bystander and hurt her. Police said when they arrived, Smith-Aiken took his own life.
This is the latest case of domestic violence and violence by a young man in Hampton Roads.
“Unchecked stress...kills," said Dr. Time Goler.
Dr. Goler is a sociology professor at Norfolk State University.
“Environment dictates behavior," said Goler.
Goler said he doesn’t see the violence as an increase.
“Until we deal with this as a constant; we’ll just pour a little something on it and leave it alone and it will spike again. So there are no spikes. This stuff happens all the time. It’s just when we want to put energy into it; it ebbs and flows according to how much we want to focus on it or not," said Goler.
Goler said a lot of the violence may stem from isolation, poverty, and people's need for help.
Many people are seeking services at the Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center.
“We’ve seen an increase in individuals reaching out through our crisis hotline here at our facility," said CEO Kurt Hooks.
Hooks said acts of desperation during times of uncertainty can lead to dangerous impulses. But he explained families can help each other cope.
“Just to kind of reach out and check in with someone is the first opportunity that we have maybe to try to help," said Hooks.
“Hampton Roads is a great place to live but we got a lot of issues we need to address," said Goler.