VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach police gave 13New Now an inside look at how new technology and partnerships are helping them combat crime at the Oceanfront the second an emergency arises.
They released body camera video from a Virginia Beach police officer. It shows a team of first responders rushing to save a man’s life, right after someone shot him at the Oceanfront.
“We had a citizen with a gunshot wound to the chest, so our goal was to provide aid to them immediately,” said Virginia Beach Police Lt. Brad Wesseler.
The shooting happened on Memorial Day Weekend. Wesseler said it was the same night Virginia Beach EMS medics joined the police bike team.
“In this particular case, the medics are riding with a team of four bike officers, they hear this case go out and rush to the scene,” Lt. Wesseler said.
EMS Deputy Chief Joey Hundley and Lt. Wesseler said medics and officers saved valuable time by working together.
“Their ability to be there rapidly responding with the right equipment and able to administer lifesaving measures,” Hundley said.
“They don’t have to worry about traffic. They can cut through large crowds,” Lt. Wesseler said.
Before this incident, police said they hadn’t responded to a shooting in the resort area for 343 days.
“We’ve added cameras, we’ve added lighting, we’ve added shot spotter,” Lt. Wesseler said.
Lt. Wesseler said those added safety measures came into play on Memorial Day Weekend. He said sheriff’s deputies helped officers quickly find the alleged shooter.
“Not even half a block before he was arrested without incident by another officer,” Lt. Wesseler said.
This new team approach is how Virginia Beach first responders plan to tackle future busy weekends across the city.
“We couldn’t do it without working as a team,” Hundley said. “And this is a perfect example of how all that coming together ideally saved someone’s life.”
Hundley said they also do training with the police department in their academies.
A spokesman for Virginia Beach police said the added safety measures and partnerships decreased violent crime calls at the oceanfront by more than 65% from January 1, 2022, to May 25, compared to the same period in 2021. They said aggravated assaults are down more than 85% in that same time frame.