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Quiet Petersburg neighborhood plagued by random gunfire

Posted at 6:34 PM, Apr 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-28 18:38:10-04

PETERSBURG, Va. -- A quiet neighborhood by day has been plauged by gunfire when the sun goes down.

Almost every evening, 911 is flooded with calls from the Walnut Hill, Lee Park area of Petersburg.

"It's a very hot spot, we have a lot of calls for shots fired," said Lt. Chris Walker.

Police have now taken what they call a two-prong approach to try and combat the recurring problem.

"Based on concerns and the increase in the gunshots in this particular community, we have increased our neighborhood walks," says Lt. Chris Walker.

Walker said that officers were out patrolling on Thursday evening "and they actually called in shots being fired."

 Lt. Chris Walker

Lt. Chris Walker

Police have also established an Internal Task Force where detectives and patrol officers share information about when and where the shots fired calls are being made.

"We recognize that shots fired numbers are up this year and it's a quality of life issue," said Captain Brian Braswell.

The Task Force is taking a closer look at the people holding the guns.

"We need to look at the groups that seem to be fighting each other," says Captain Braswell who adds often the shots being fired are more of an attempt at intimidation than actually shooting at residents.

Police ask anyone with information about shots fired or any crime in the City to call Crime Solvers at 861-1212.

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