VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach Police Captain Harry McBrien said police officers are "disrupting the shooting cycle." McBrien said officers seized several guns over Memorial Day Weekend.
Some Virginia Beach locals said they are tired and upset with the shootings at the Oceanfront.
“Some of these folks have no respect for boundaries. They will take their problems, whatever they may be, anywhere they choose to," said Nancy Parker, a Virginia Beach resident and Resort Beach Civic League member.
Parker said she’s noticed an increase in safety thanks to the new technology police are using.
“The thing that’s helped us a lot in this area has been the shot spotter that they put in recently as well as the new cameras," said Parker.
McBrien tweeted pictures after a bike patrol over the weekend. He said officers took illegally possessed guns off the streets.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate did tweet about a fatal shooting over the weekend and said investigators arrested a person.
“The use of firearms in crimes, in particular, is unacceptable," said Virginia Beach City Council Member Michael Berlucchi.
Berlucchi said the tweets and the pictures do more than give information. They also provide a message to criminals.
“Don’t come here and commit a crime and certainly don’t come him to commit a crime using guns because our police department will respond," said Berlucchi.
Parker said the technology is working but change needs to come at a national level.
“Somewhere along the line, there’s going to have to be some thought process about who has access to guns at what age level and what type of guns are really, truly appropriate," said Parker.
A Virginia Beach spokesperson said violent crime in the resort area has decreased 68% from January 2022 through May 2022, compared to the same period in 2021 due to the increase of manpower and technology at the Oceanfront.