RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — It may be cold outside, but some Richmonders are feeling hot-tempered behind the wheel.
According to the Richmond Police Department, at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20, a Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System employee was sitting in his car by the VCU Health D-Deck entrance gate at 515 North 13th Street, when a grey sedan pulled up behind him.
One of the two occupants of the sedan got out of the car and pulled out a firearm, firing multiple shots in the employee’s direction.
According to police, the employee was uninjured, but his car was struck by gunfire. The two suspects were last seen speeding away on North 13th Street heading south. Investigators believe road rage may have played a role.
A woman who has lived in the area for years told 8News she was not surprised to hear about the incident. She said that drivers speed, honk their horns and weave through traffic frequently in the city.
8News also spoke with a VCU Health student to hear his thoughts on something so violent happening close to where he spends a great deal of his time.
“Yeah, that was really strange,” said Gilbert Glago, a first year international student from Ghana, when asked for his initial reaction to the incident.
Gilbert Glago has lived in Richmond for three or four months and said he generally feels safe on VCU Health’s campus.
“I have heard some stories before I came that when you come to the U.S., you should be careful,” Glago said.
Glago said that, for the most part, drivers have been patient and respectful of pedestrians on campus.
However, tensions can rapidly raise from zero to 100 on the road. According to AAA, information collected from recent years showed that more than 80% of drivers admitted to experiencing road rage during any month.
After last night’s incident on campus, Glago said he will be keeping his eyes open.
“I need to be extra, extra careful and advise my friends to be careful,” Glago said. “It’s scary.”
Anyone with information about this incident should contact the VCU Police Department at 804-828-1234.
