ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Four teenagers are hurt after a shooting in Elizabeth City Wednesday.
The victims' ages are 15, 16, 17 and 19.
According to the Elizabeth City Police Department, officers responded to the Walker Landing Apartments on Roanoke Avenue around 7 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found 19-year-old Rontrez Coleman and a 17-year-old boy, both with injuries. Medics rushed them to Sentara Albermarle Medical Center, when later two more teenage boys, ages 15 and 16, arrived in a private vehicle.
Interim Police Chief Phil Webster said all four were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Two of the victims were taken by Nightingale and a third was also taken by helicopter.
As of Thursday, Coleman remains in critical condition, according to a Sentara spokesperson. The hospital would not release the status of the other three victims due to their age.
"There's really no other way to describe this. It's heartbreaking," said Webster during a press conference Thursday.
Police did not share any details about a suspect or any arrests. However, the department said investigators do not believe the community to be in any danger.
Webster would not share how detectives arrived at that conclusion, citing an ongoing investigation. However, he shared police have not discovered a weapon.
"I'm tired of seeing young people getting shot or resolving to violence in this country," said Mayor Kirk Rivers. "And for this to happen in our backyard, with four young people getting shot. It's unacceptable."
Rivers told 13News Now he knows some of the victims' families and said the city leaders are working on initiatives to slow violent crime.
Just last month, he said Elizabeth City Council agreed to lease the former National Guard Armory on Westover Avenue to house programs for the community. Those programs will include the Police Athletic League (PAL) which serves as a mentoring initiative to bring police officers and youth together.
City Manager Montre' D. Freeman said city staff is working on other programs for the facility, which should be open in six to nine months.
"We want to remove idle hands and replace them with something positive," said Freeman.
City leaders are urging members of the community to work with them in solving this case, along with help with future initiatives.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Elizabeth City Police Department at (252) 335-4321 or the Crime Line at (252) 335-5555.