RICHMOND, Va. — Deborah Bochen opened her clothing boutique, Verdalina, 11 years ago because she loved the location on Broad Street in the heart of downtown Richmond.
When Bochen woke up on Saturday and learned vandals had shot out the front glass windows of her store, she couldn’t believe the amount of destruction she saw.
“When I got down here and saw the fact that five of us on this block got hit, I was really stunned,” Bochen said. “But then to find out that it started so far away and ended up so far away has just made me angrier every day.”
Both Richmond and Henrico detectives are investigating several reports of businesses being hit by vandals with BB guns.
The damages extend to more than a dozen locations, from the West End to Church Hill.
Mark Seredeni spent the weekend cleaning up broken glass from his Henrico business, Impawsible Pups Training Facility.
In Church Hill, Staples Macdonald, the general manager of the Hill Cafe, was taking down what was left of the shattered window in front of the restaurant.
“It seemed like it was almost 13 to 15 shots, BB gun or pellets,” Macdonald said. “It didn’t go through the safety glass, so it just shattered $10,000 worth of windows.”
Surveillance video from the Hill Cafe showed a vehicle driving by on Broad Street when the damage occurred.
Macdonald said it looked similar to the sedan that was captured by surveillance cameras during another BB shooting incident at the Hill Cafe on October 8.
“I’ve seen a lot of things. I grew up in the neighborhood,” Macdonald said. “I think this corner is well-lit and it’s surprising that this is what they choose to do and there’s cameras everywhere now and someone is going to spend a lot of time in jail for stupid stuff.”
Richmond Police said damages were also reported to properties on Hull Street and East Canal Street, along with three cars on East Broad Street.
The reports come on the heels of BB vandalisms occurring in the Sandston area of eastern Henrico where more than 30 cars and properties were hit last month, prompting a town meeting with Henrico Police on Tuesday night.
Bochen said she’s already upset that Richmond Police rarely respond to numerous reports of reckless drivers and motorcyclists along the stretch of Broad Street, where she said people are trying to enjoy shops and restaurants.
“If police are not going to do anything about that, then why not get a pellet gun and go from Henrico to Church Hill and shoot windows at midnight,” Bochen said.
Bochen said she won’t be able to decorate her storefront for the holidays because the windows are now boarded up until new ones are ordered and installed, but said she had no plans to leave. She hoped Richmond Police will start patrolling and making their presence known.
“We’ll decorate those boards, and we’ll make it work and we’ll have fun,” Bochen said. “I’m not defeated, I just want to see the police do something and it’s time.”
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