PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth Commonwealth's Attorney Stephanie Morales is advocating for change following a violent night of shootings that took place in the city.
“We have to fight like our lives depend on it, because they do. We need to do everything within our power to see a change," Morales told 13News Now.
It all started Tuesday night around 8:15 p.m. That's when officers got a call about someone who had been shot on Deep Creek Boulevard.
They found a man with a gunshot wound at that location. Not too long before they got that call, they also learned that another man who had also been shot walked into a local hospital.
Police haven't released anything about how bad the victims' injuries were, but they're investigating to see if both men are connected to the same shooting.
“The crime in the area, the way I feel about it, it needs to stop. Simple as that, the crime needs to stop,” Antwon Vreen said.
Then, around 1 a.m. Wednesday, police said a man had been shot to death as he was driving down Turnpike Road. The victim was identified as 18-year-old Talik Farmer.
When first responders found him, they tried to save his life, but he died at the scene. Neighbors say the area where Farmer was shot is a hotbed for crime.
“People need to come together, mostly black people. We need to come together. Half of us don’t do that. It’s bad, it’s sad," Portsmouth resident James Gray said.
Investigators haven't released suspect information for any of these shooting cases.
Data from the Portsmouth Police Department shows violent crime in the city has doubled from the same period in 2019.
“We have to take that pain and use it to fuel our actions to really see a difference and a change," Morales explained.
She said her office offers programs to help curb gun violence, but it’s not enough. She believes everyone needs to come together as a city. “Live Free” is a program she thinks could work in Portsmouth. She said it’s already successful in Oakland, California.
“It literally brings all walks of life in the community together to look at violence and harm reduction and also provides critical resources to change the land,” Morales explained.
She said this community needs rescuing and it’s going to take everyone working together to see a difference.
13News Now reached out to Portsmouth’s Interim Police Chief to see if he could talk about the increase in crime, and what he and his officers are doing to try and stop the violence. We are waiting to hear back.