PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The weekend began with a violent night in Portsmouth. Detectives are investigating a string of shootings in that city that left four people hurt and a woman dead.
The latest shooting happened just before 10:30 Friday night. Portsmouth Police Department investigations say someone shot and injured a man on Effingham Street.
A spokesperson for the police department said officers helped the victim at the scene before medics took him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
A man who lives nearby said he heard several gunshots behind his home.
Cedric Thomas attends church at St. John Baptist, which is across the street from where the shooting happened.
"Right beside the church. We can do better than that," Thomas said. “It’s sad. It makes you not want to go nowhere. We need to get together. Get off your behind and let’s do something about this crime. That’s all we got to do. From your elected leaders all the way down to your pastors all the way down to your church members.”
And this wasn’t the only shooting Portsmouth Police Department officers are investigating.
According to Portsmouth police chief Stephen Jenkins, three people were shot at Dale Drive and Columbus Avenue, near Deep Creek Boulevard.
It happened around 10 p.m. The chief said detectives believe it all stemmed from a possible shootout. All three victims in this shooting are women. On Saturday, police updated to say one of the women died.
A few hours before this, investigators say someone shot a 52-year-old man in the abdomen. It happened on Horne Avenue before 8 p.m. Medics took him to the hospital.
“We need to get these pastors in these churches in this area and we all need to come together to stop this," Thomas said. "There’s no sense in it.”
If you know anything about any of these shootings, you're asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-562-5887 or submit a tip on the P3 tips app. You never have to give your name.