PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A 3-year-old girl was shot at a Portsmouth apartment complex, police said Friday morning.
The shooting was at London Oaks Apartments, which is located off Virginia Avenue near London Boulevard and High Street. A Portsmouth Police Department spokesperson says officers responded to the scene shortly after midnight.
Medics took the girl to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. She wasn't identified because she is a minor. A woman who did not want to be identified said the girl is her goddaughter. The woman said someone shot her while she slept.
Portsmouth police released video of the suspect vehicle, a Mercedes E-Class Station Wagon, Friday evening. They are asking anyone who may have seen the following car, to call police at 757–393–8536.
Frustration looms after another shooting hit London Oaks Apartments off High Street. Neighbors call the area "a war zone" saying shootings occur frequently.
Those who did not want to talk on camera for fear of retaliation say they heard dozens of gunshots overnight.
Along with injuring a young girl, bullets shattered windows and apartment units on the property.
Another woman said she dropped to the floor nervous that bullets would hit her and her home. Residents said this type of violence isn’t new since they no longer have a security guard patrolling the area.
“So, when you get rid of security inside of a community and you think about saving money instead of saving lives, that’s when the trauma comes in,” said Darrell Redmond, the founder of Give Back 2 Da Block.
Community activists said incidents like this are a reminder that their work isn’t done.
“We want kids to be kids again,” said Reggie Gatling, the found of Future Leaders Of Our Decade (F.L.O.O.D.). “A lot of us grew up together. We know each other personally.”
Redmond said he visited the scene this morning.
“People think about the scene while it’s the scene," Redmond said. "I think about the scene after the scene. How is it traumatically impacting a community?”
He said he’s focused on giving those neighbors the necessary resources to heal.
“Their trauma is going to be affected," Redmond said. "For some of them, today but for some of them, 30 years from now.”
Redmond said he plans to return to the neighborhood in the afternoon with a crisis response team. He said he wants to hear from residents on how his organization can help.
Although security cameras cover the property, residents want to see more security measures. One person is even calling on the complex to create a safety task force.
This isn't the first time there has been gun violence in the same block. Earlier this week, police found a man shot near Virginia Avenue. Two shootings happened in February and March on Virginia Avenue, each of them leaving one person hurt. In January 2022, a woman was killed at the same apartment complex.
If you have any information that may help investigators, you're asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-562-5887. You can also send a tip online at P3Tips.com.