The shooting is the second of the day and the 12th in the coastal city in seven days, Portsmouth police spokeswoman Victoria Varnedo said. The outbreak of gun violence has killed 18 people, four of whom have been killed, Varnedo told CNN.
Earlier, Varnedo told reporters that investigators were working to identify the victims and notify family members. Varnedo did not give other details about the victims and said no arrests had been made.
“Our city needs to be enraged,” Police Chief Renado Prince told a news conference after reading a list of recent shootings.
“I know I am,” he said.
Prince said some of the shootings involved gangs and one was the result of a dispute, one part of possible revenge for a domestic dispute, and one was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Other incidents are being investigated on motive.
“Every resource that this city can offer, and some that they don’t, we use to tackle crime in our city,” the chief said.
Prince said the only thing missing was the action of the Portsmouth citizens.
“Someone who listens knows what led to the shooting. Someone who listens knows who the shooter is, someone who listens has not yet been affected by the violence in our city,” Prince said. “Don’t wait your turn until you decide to open your mouth to say something.
Portsmouth is close to Norfolk and has about 98,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. According to the website of the police department in 2021 there are 35 murders and deaths by negligence. This year they were 13, as of June 2.
CNN’s Steve Almasi contributed to this report.
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