NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Four children were shot Friday afternoon following an altercation between two people in the 900 block of Madison Avenue, Norfolk police said.
When police arrived on the scene shortly after 2 p.m., they did not initially find any victims of the shooting. A dispatch call shortly after confirmed that four victims arrived at a local hospital by car.
Police say the victims are a 6-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy.
Authorities have identified and arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with the shooting. He has been charged with malicious wounding, attempted malicious wounding, shooting into an occupied building, possession of a firearm by a juvenile and two counts of use of a firearm.
He is currently being held in the Norfolk Detention Center.
One of the victims, a 6-year-old girl, was shot in the stomach and was taken into surgery, according to her uncle. She was originally reported to have life-threatening injuries, however, police say she is now stable.
Family members told 10 On Your Side’s Jon Dowding that two other victims were also taken to surgery. One of them, a 16-year-old boy, was shot in the jaw. Another boy, a 14-year-old, was shot in the hand. The two boys are siblings.
Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone told 10 On Your Side’s Jason Marks that none of the children have life-threatening injuries. In a previous tweet, police had said one victim had life-threatening injuries.
The shooting happened in the Spartan Village neighborhood near Norfolk State University.
“It’s been an uptick in gun violence in this neighborhood,” said one local resident.
Community leaders continue to struggle with how they stop the significant increase in violence throughout the city.
“We’re trying to come up with a solution, a better strategy to use so we can minimize the situation,” said Bilal Muhammad from the Stop the Violence Team. “We’re asking for the community, it takes everybody.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Norfolk Police encourage anyone with information about this shooting to contact the Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or submit a tip through the P3Tips mobile app.
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