Police discovered at least eight shooting victims at the “original crime scene” near 20th Street and Atlantic Avenue when they arrived shortly after 11:00 pm Friday night, said Virginia Beach Chief of Police Paul Neudigate, at a press conference.
While police were investigating the first crime scene, shots were fired about a block away, near 20th Street and Pacific Avenue, resulting in “an individual being confronted by a uniformed Virginia Beach police officer,” said Neudigate. The policeman shot and killed the person in what the chief described as a “police intervention shooting”.
A second person was killed in a separate shootout nearby, Neudigate said. He said the police are still trying to determine what happened, but he does not believe it has anything to do with the first two shootings.
In addition to the shootings, a Virginia Beach police officer was also taken to a local hospital with non-fatal injuries after being hit by a car.
“What you can see is that we have a very chaotic incident, a very chaotic night on the beach. A lot of different crime scenes,” said Neudigate.
No arrests had been made at the time of the investigation, but the chief said several people had been detained and were in police custody. Their involvement was unclear.
During the briefing, the police did not explain the reason for the shooting or provide details on the condition of the wounded.
Representatives from the Commonwealth attorney’s office were on site monitoring the police investigation, according to Neudigate.
This is a developing story. Return for updates.