RICHMOND, Va. -- Every shooting in Richmond from now until the New Year means will add to a grim new record. 239 people shot in one year was the old record, but so far in 2021, the number is at 247 with 88 homicides.
"You'll hear the gunshots then the sirens and don't know if it's fire, ambulance, or police,” said Paula Cannon, who lives on the city's Southside.
On Monday night, police raced to 700 Richmond Highway for a ‘shots fired’ call. When they got there, they found a man inside a convenience store with what Crime Insider sources say was a gunshot wound to the upper body.
He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Earlier in the day, about three miles away at the Blue Ridge Apartments off Midlothian Turnpike, a man suffered life-threatening injuries due to the accidental firing of a weapon inside a car.
Crime Insider sources say a passenger mishandled a gun and it went off, shooting the driver in his chest.
"You can get in, there's no gate, so you can run through anytime day or night,” said Cannon, describing her apartment complex. “So it's like open season, especially on the weekend."
Cannon would like to know when it will all stop.
"I was born and raised in Richmond and it's definitely different than what it was 50 years ago,” she said. “You used to be able to walk outside and enjoy. Not now, you don't know if you'll get shot going to the dumpster or getting your mail and that's unfortunate. It really is."
