PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A Portsmouth family is grieving the loss of a loved one to gun violence. It comes as the search continues for a possible suspect.
10 On Your Side received video of what appears to be the moments before the chaos began, and three women were shot last Friday night on Columbus Avenue, with 31-year-old Erica Atkins killed.
Family members are asking: how much more can a family take?
Atkins was the third family member killed by violence in Portsmouth in 10 years.
“A piece of my soul is burning,” said Monica Atkins, the aunt of Erica Atkins and the executive director of Stop the Violence 757.
The horrific crime was caught on home surveillance video. You can watch as a group of men emerged from cars and opened fire on the women as they sat in a car.
“I owe my niece justice,” Monica Atkins said. “And as much as I do for the community, the city of Portsmouth, they owe me this.”
She said she was speechless.
Lucretia Atkins not only lost her sister, but also her best friend.
“I was in here — we had just put our kids to sleep, her kids and my kids,” Lucretia Atkins said. “She had got a call from her friend. She hopped up. She said, ‘I’ll be right back.’ She walked out the door. Maybe 45 minutes later, I got the call that she had been shot.”
Police shared video and still footage asking for the public’s help in identifying
“If you know who that individual is in that picture,” Monica Atkins said, “please contact the Portsmouth Police Department.
Erica Atkins is survived by two daughters — ages 10 and two.
