RICHMOND, Va. -- "We have to find a better way to solve these disputes. It is tearing our communities apart."
It's been a particularly difficult few days for Richmond Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras.
Kamras said a 14-year-old Martin Luther King Middle School student was killed last week and a 16-year-old Henrico teen killed in a Whitcomb court shooting Wednesday was the son of a Richmond Schools employee.
"It's been a very difficult week for us. We've had multiple incidents that have impacted our schools," Kamras said Friday, one day after a 17-year-old was injured and an adult couple killed on Spotsylvania Street in Richmond's Mosby Court. "All I can say is, I beg of our community to do everything we possibly can to stop the violence put the guns aside, no more retaliation."
The shooting of the 17-year-old was the fifth shooting involving a teenager in five nights across Central Virginia.
Police said an officer patrolling the area heard gunshots shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday and discovered the 17-year-old with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
Nearby, police found a man and woman dead outside a home at Spotsylvania and Accommodation Streets.
"There were many people out here screaming, crying, upset," Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said. "There are children without parents."
Along with police, community responders known as the Trauma Healing Response Network arrived at the crime scene to help the children.
"Met with the children, are counseling with the children. Provided financial resources because the kids were hungry, they couldn't go back into home," advocate Charles Willis said.
Police have not yet released victims' names, any suspect information, a potential motive nor explained what, if any, the 17-year-old had to those who were killed. Police have asked the community to come forward with any information they might have to bring those responsible to justice.
"I am confident that RPD will go above and beyond to hold those who committed these heinous acts accountable. I commend the RPD for their response and working with the community by dispatching police chaplains, community mediators, and working with our Trauma Healing Response Network to begin the healing process. I ask that if you have any information regarding this incident, please call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000," Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said in a statement following the shootings.
Teen Violence Timeline in April 2024
- Matthew Devine, 16, was shot and killed on April 6 in Hanover County
- A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed on April 10 in Richmond
- A 15-year-old girl was shot and injured on April 10 in Ettrick
- A 17-year-old boy was shot and injured on April 11 in Richmond
- A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed on April 11 in Chesterfield
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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