NORFOLK, Va. — Two teens were arrested after a shooting in the downtown area of Norfolk late Thursday night, police said.
The shooting left a 14-year-old boy with injuries not considered to be life-threatening. The investigation began around 10:40 p.m. when Norfolk police officers were flagged down by a driver of the Tide's light rail train in the 100 block of Bank Street.
Officers located the victim on board the train, the Norfolk Police Department said. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and is expected to recover.
A spokesperson for the Norfolk Police Department said the victim was on board the train when he was shot, but the suspects were not. In a statement, Police Chief Mark Talbot said the shooting "was the result of two groups of juveniles that do not get along spotting one another at the Light Rail stop in Downtown Norfolk."
He continued: "Fortunately, however, Norfolk Police Officers were nearby and swiftly responded to the scene which ensured that the victim received the necessary medical assistance to sustain his injuries, and all others on the train were out of harm's way. This rapid response by the Officers not only aided the victim tremendously but is what led to an arrest taking place less than an hour after the incident occurred."
Officers arrested the suspects, a 16-year-old boy and another 14-year-old boy, in the 500 block of Tidewater Drive around 11:15 p.m.
The two are charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a juvenile.
Hampton Roads Transit (HRT), the agency that oversees the Tide light rail, said people can expect to see increased security as a result of the shooting.
"HRT employs an internal and professional security team, comprised of transit security administrators and transit security officers for all bus, light rail, and ferry service," the agency wrote in a news release. "HRT security team professionals have an extensive background in security, enforcement, and emergency response, including years of uniformed service within area police departments and the U.S. military."
HRT Director of Communications Amy Jordan said employees also train for the unexpected.
"We actually recently did an active shooter drill on the train to prepare for these types of incidents," Jordan said. "Obviously, this was an extremely unfortunate incident, and the train was not the target.”
In the news release, William Harrell, HRT's president and CEO, thanked the train operator who helped the victim.
"We appreciate the prompt and professional response of our light rail operator who quickly assessed the situation and obtained medical care for the victim,” Harrell said.
Domonique Vaughan said he lives in the area and founded the group Gloves up, Guns Down. He’s calling on parents and community members in the city to step up.
"It takes a village to raise a child and sadly we don’t have any villagers engaging with our youth and that’s exactly why we have things like this that happen," Vaughan said.
Jason McDonald, president of the Downtown Norfolk Civic League, said the league is saddened to hear about this shooting. But he told 13News Now they get crime statistics reports at every member meeting and have noticed security cameras and license plate reading cameras in the area have gone a long way to reduce crime.