RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — After six people got hurt in an early morning shooting near a Richmond club on Monday, residents say they are ready to take some action.
Police responded to a shooting along West Broad Street just after 3:30 a.m. on July 4.
The bullets struck four men and two women. Two of the victims have life-threatening injuries, according to police.
First responders took one man to the hospital by ambulance, while the other victims transported themselves for treatment.
Elizabeth Donnelly said her fear is turning into frustration.
“What’s happening outside your door is far scarier than calling somebody out,” she said.
She’s urging the mayor and city councilmembers to invest more in the police department and to help curb crime.
“There’s no officers, there’s no money and there’s no support,” Donnelly said. “It’s about showing up all the time and letting people know the police are available and they’re there to assist or at least intervene. Whether you’re happy about it or not.”
John Hayes, Deputy Chief of Patrol Operations with the Richmond Police Department, said officers are doing their best to keep the community safe.
“Investigators are hard-working,” he said. “It’s a sad event and we as a department hate hearing it.”
He said officers will be out checking on different areas of the city to make sure everyone enjoys the holiday safely.
Donnelly added that she wrote a letter to city council members in March and on Friday, which was also the same day that a man was shot near Custer Street and Third Avenue. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.
“It caused me to look down the block about three houses and I could see the person’s body laying in the street,” she said.
Donnelly said her letters demanding more support for police officers and pleading for more intervention have since been ignored by city councilmembers.
“I’ve seen a lot of different things. We’ve lived in a lot of different places, but this was really…it was unnerving. I don’t know how to explain it any better,” she said.
Richmond police have not made any arrests in Monday morning’s shooting on West Broad Street.
