PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Portsmouth Police Dept. held a "RESET Walk" on Thursday following three homicides in the span of a week.
The string of violence started Friday when officers found 28-year-old Daniel Rodgers dead from gunshot wounds in the Dale Homes neighborhood; Then on Tuesday, 30-year-old Yolanda Jackson died following a shooting on Portsmouth Boulevard; The very next day, 24-year-old Andrese Jennings died after someone shot him in broad daylight on Airline Boulevard.
Officers held the RESET Walk in the Douglas Park neighborhood, just feet away from where Tuesday’s shooting happened. Officer Adrien Henderson told 13News Now the goal is to connect with the community.
“We knock on doors and try to engage with the community," Officer Henderson said. "Hopefully, we can bring some kind of calm to the neighborhood."
According to 13News Now records, the City of Portsmouth has seen at least 14 homicides so far this year, half of which happened in the last month and most remain unsolved.
“Hopefully, if anyone in the community has any information they can pass along, [that] would help us the solve these crimes," Officer Henderson said. "It would be extremely helpful.”
Still, 13News Now records show violence in Portsmouth is actually down year to date. By this time last year, there were three more homicides in the city.
According to our records, the average age of homicide victims in Portsmouth this year is 26. Compare that with the other Hampton Roads cities which have a combined average age of 36.
Henderson hopes to reach the youth with the department's summer camp starting in June.
"That's one of the things that my unit, the community enhancement division, is spearheading," he said. "Come out and have fun with us this summer, Cradock Middle School."
The Portsmouth Police Athletic League runs the summer camp. More information will be available on the department website.
Anyone with information that may help detectives is urged to contact the Portsmouth Police Investigations Bureau at 757-393-8536 or visit www.portscrimeline.com. For anonymous tips, please contact the crime line at 1-888-562-5887.