Virginia State Police said 18 shootings have taken place on interstates in the Hampton Roads area since the start of the year. The figure covers the period from Jan. 1 through June 7, according to a release issued Thursday afternoon.
Hampton accounted for the largest share, with seven of the incidents. Norfolk had five, while Chesapeake and Portsmouth each had two. Newport News and Virginia Beach each recorded one.
Authorities said six of the shootings resulted in injuries, with six people hurt in total. No one has been killed.
Captain Timothy Reibel of Virginia State Police said the numbers should concern the public. "Hampton Roads residents should be alarmed by the number of shootings happening on our highways," he said. "Virginians have a right to safely travel." He added that State Police, working with local law enforcement agencies in the region, have been pursuing every available lead, piece of evidence and resource to make arrests and head off future incidents.
State Police stressed that the shootings have not been random, and that no single person is responsible for them. Investigators have found commonalities among some of the cases. In certain instances, the victims and suspects come from the same communities, and relationships stemming from earlier events have led to gunfire.
The department said some of the shootings are gang-related, while others grew out of individual conflicts.
Reibel said the agency is committed to making an arrest in every one of the cases but cannot succeed without help from the public. He said there are people who witnessed the disagreement that led to a shooting, or who know the suspects and victims. "We need those people to come forward," he said, adding that staying quiet "only empowers these dangerous criminals, and further victimizes and endangers the safety of our communities and highways."
Anyone with information about any of the shootings is asked to contact Virginia State Police by dialing #77 or calling 757-424-6800.
