NORFOLK, Va. — Police are investigating a shooting that injured four children Friday in Norfolk.
Dispatchers received a call shortly after 2 p.m. about a shooting in the the 900 block of Madison Avenue, near Norfolk State University, police said on Twitter.
A 6-year-old girl was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to a news release. Police said she is in stable condition.
A 14-year-old boy, 16-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy were also shot and taken a local hospital for treatment. Their injuries were not considered life threatening.
Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone told reporters there is one suspect in connection with the shooting, but did not say whether that person is in police custody. Boone also said it is unclear how many guns were involved.
Three men said they witnessed the shooting’s aftermath. The men ran outside after they heard gunshots and the sound of girls screaming. The 6-year-old girl was surrounded by five to six people after she had been shot and was laying in the street on Madison Avenue.
“When I ran down there she was crying, they were holding her. I said ‘lay her down, put pressure on her’,” one man said. “She was fainting out. They were telling her to hold on — she was saying, ‘I can’t.’”
One man advised the other girls to take the 6-year-old to a hospital because of long wait times calling paramedics.
Sonyia Johnson said she saw the 16-year-old girl, who had been shot near her shoulder, leaning against a gray Nissan Altima on Corprew Avenue. The injured girl was with two others when Johnson was approached to use her phone to call police.
Officials did not release information about a possible motive.
Boone said police are interviewing multiple witnesses and looking for the one known suspect involved in the shooting. He said the number of suspects could change upon the department’s investigation.
