RICHMOND, Va. -- Longtime Southside resident Ms. Margaret says she is getting too old and frail to dodge the bullets that frequently fly in her neighborhood.
"I think they've been in trouble, been locked up and now they're coming back," Margaret said. "I believe that's what it is but I can't swear to it."
Margaret lives three blocks from the 2100 block of Harwood Street. Early Tuesday morning, a man was shot and suffered from life-threatening injuries.
"A bang, wait another second, and a bang. That's it," she said.
Margaret has lived in her Southside community for 84 years. She remembers when there was a bull farm on the corner and when she never had to worry about a stray bullet coming through her window.
"It aggravates me! Cars flying up and down the street, backfiring, and carrying on," she said.
Ms. Margaret is not the only neighbor frustrated.
"The violence is everywhere. It's not just the 8th district. It's all over the damn city," she said.
Public safety chair and 8th district councilwoman Reva Trammell said that criminals are running the streets.
"It looks like the bad guys will keep running until the powers that be stand up and say something has to be done," Trammell said. "What are we supposed to do? 175 police officers gone. Who wants to be a cop in this city?"
Retention and recruiting officers remains a problem for the Richmond Police Department.
Trammell says since 2020, fewer and fewer people want the job of police officer. Violent crime statistics are proving her point.
"The criminals have more power than we do. We lock them up, they go to jail, they get right back out because of judges or the Commonwealth. It's a revolving door," Trammel said. "On council, all I can do is fight. Go on TV and say please help us. Because it's coming to your neighborhood. It's just not here. It's coming to your community too."
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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