HAMPTON, Va. — It’s been a week of concern for some people who live at The Samuel apartments in Hampton.
Two people were shot during two separate shootings in the complex’s parking lot.
The violence leaves neighbor Angela Waterman shaken. She’s lived in the complex over the last six years.
“I’m just afraid to be by myself. Because the other night, I heard gunshots. I don’t know where they came from, but they were close,” Waterman said.
Hampton Police said one of the shootings happened on Monday morning when someone shot and injured a 14-year-old boy off of Andros Isle.
Then, early Wednesday morning, police said a 30-year-old man walked into a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries after getting shot. Investigators say their preliminary investigation revealed the shooting happened on Antiqua Bay.
Police haven’t released any suspect information in either case.
For Waterman, an elderly widow, it’s all become too much.
"It’s not safe anymore, cause you don’t know whether you’re gonna get a stray bullet somewhere or something," said Waterman. "My husband passed away in January, and I’m alone and I don’t have anybody… just me and my dog live there. I just don’t feel safe anymore."
Another neighbor, Zhanae Payne, said she’s never heard of shootings at the complex in the past.
“It’s a dog neighborhood, so a lot of people are usually out walking around and minding their business. So, to find out something like this happened in this area is crazy,” Payne said.
For Waterman, the latest shooting was the tipping point.
“I planned on staying here for a long time. But not this… not like this,” she said.
The woman has decided she’ll soon pack up and move to Ohio, where she plans to live with her son and grandchildren.
Earlier this week, Hampton’s Interim Police Chief Kenneth Ferguson said the recent shootings have had an immense impact on the community.
He also said the department is working on short- and long-term plans to address the violence, and that it will take an all-hands-on-deck approach.