9-year-old and 14-year-old killed in shooting at convenience store, Virginia cops say
Two children were killed and two adults were seriously hurt in a shooting at a Virginia convenience store, officials said.
The kids — ages 9 and 14 — were taken to a hospital after officers reported finding them with gunshot wounds on Friday, Nov. 12. Both boys later died at the hospital, the Richmond Police Department said in a news release.
Two men at the scene also went to a hospital with life-threatening injuries after the shooting, officials said.
Mayor Levar Stoney said losing the boys left him “devastated.”
“Two young lives were lost and we extend our deepest sympathies to the families of the victims,” Stoney wrote in a news release. “We will bring those who perpetrated this horrible crime to justice, and we will strengthen our efforts to curb gun violence and address the root causes that lead to these senseless acts.”
Now, three people have been arrested in the case. Richmond’s police chief during a Nov. 16 news conference said two of those charged were 17-year-olds and that the investigation was ongoing.
Officers got a call about shots fired about 7:30 p.m. on Nine Mile Road, east of downtown Richmond. While responding to the OMG Convenience store, police said they found four people had been shot, WTVR and the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
Police in a news release shared few details about the shooting and didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ requests for additional information on Nov. 15. The boys weren’t related, officials said.
After the shooting, news outlets report Richmond’s police chief announced the creation of a task force related to gun crimes and called on community members ”to engage” with young people.
“This violence that we are seeing right now is affecting our youth,” Chief Gerald M. Smith said in video of a news conference posted to Facebook. “Our youth are the ones who are falling victim to it, and our youth are the ones who are committing it.”
Officials ask anyone with information to call police at 804-814-7123 or Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000. People can also submit information through the P3 Tips Crime Stoppers smartphone app.
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 3:18 PM.
