PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Losing a loved one to gun violence is never easy, especially when you’ve dedicated your life to fighting crime.
Stop The Violence 757 executive director Monica Atkins said someone shot and killed her 31-year-old niece Erica Atkins on Friday.
It was one of five separate shootings between Friday and Monday in Portsmouth, with seven people hurt total. Erica Atkins was killed in one of those shootings.
“I need a community that helped born and raised me, that I give back to wholeheartedly: timeless hours, hard work. I need their help and their support to help me get justice for my niece," Monica Atkins said. “My niece was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had just left home.”
According to Monica, her niece was at home with her family when she got a call from a friend and left home.
The shooting happened around 10 p.m. at Dale Drive and Columbus Avenue. Two other women were also shot and injured. Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins said it all might have stemmed from a possible shootout.
“It’s a city that’s under attack right now. It’s a revolving door that’s happening over and over and I do my part," Monica said. "I show up even when I’m hurt and now, I need people to show up for me.”
Monica is no stranger to tragedy. She launched “Stop the Violence 757” after someone shot and killed her son, Antonio Atkins, in 2014.
Erica’s sister, Lucretia Atkins, said the family is taking the loss hard.
“She was a very amazing person. One of the best people I have ever met in my life. I swear it feels like I’m standing in fire, my soul is burning from this loss," Lucretia said. “She was a light to everybody that she came in contact with, her spirit was vibrant, she wanted everybody to have a good time, she wanted everybody to be joyous. She loved her family so much.”
Erica leaves behind two young daughters: a 10-year-old and a 2-year-old.
"This is so hard for us to have to break to my 10-year-old great-niece that her mother is not coming back," Monica said. "And I don’t think it really registered.”
Monica said she will continue to work to try and end gun violence in her community and she’s asking anyone with information about her niece’s killer to come forward.
The shooting investigation remains ongoing. If you know anything that may help detectives, you are 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.