SUFFOLK, Va. — Calls to curb gun violence in Suffolk are growing. Members of a youth community group marched through the sidewalks of the downtown area while rallying for change Tuesday evening.
Organizers with Project Power had planned this event for a while. They said they felt compelled to take a stand against senseless violence in the city. And it just so happened the event fell hours after a double shooting on Nansemond Parkway.
Acting Police Chief James "Danny" Buie also joined the walk. Some marchers held posters, too.
Just hours prior, a double shooting rattled the Heritage Acres apartment complex. Capt. Mark Erie with the Suffolk Police Department (SPD) told 13News Now an incident overnight left two 39-year-old men hurt.
When first responders got there a little after midnight on Tuesday, they found one of the men badly injured.
He's still in the hospital in serious condition but stable, according to Capt. Erie.
Close to 12:30 a.m., employees at Sentara Obici Hospital informed police that another man who was shot walked in to seek treatment. That man has since been medically released, Capt. Erie said.
Police believe both men were shot in the same area on Nansemond Parkway. Investigators are still looking into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Suffolk police detectives haven't released any suspect information at this time.
Sheila Mclellan, a Suffolk resident, is saddened by the latest act of violence in her city.
"I feel like it's horrible," she said reacting to news of the Nansemond Parkway shooting.
Mclellan was especially concerned about young people turning to criminal acts.
"People don't have the cohesiveness we used to have," said Mclellan.
The city has had three fewer deadly shootings and just as many non-deadly shootings so far this year compared to the same period in 2023, according to numbers provided by SPD.
"I would say over the last year or so, it's decreased. But for the most part, what it is out here is just a lot of the younger crowd who really don't have anything to do for entertainment," said Suffolk resident K. "They resort to violence, but the reason for their violence has no principle."
Walk participants wrapped up their trek at Lokee Restaurant, where a memorial tribute took place for recent victims of gun violence in the city.
People attending viewed artwork and could take part in an open mic.