NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Two people who sustained life threatening injuries on Sunday night are now in stable condition according to police.
The shootings happened just 10 minutes apart and less than two miles from each other in Newport News on Sunday night. Police do not believe they were related to one another.
Police responded to the first shooting around 10:16 p.m. and found a 28-year-old man suffering gunshot wounds to the neck and arm areas.
Police say the shooting happened in the 600 block of Hancock Drive. After the shooting, the victim ran to the front of the Target store located in the 12100 block of Jefferson Avenue, which is where police found him. He was transported to the hospital.
Police say a verbal altercation between the victim and a group of males in a white vehicle led to the shooting. Police say one of the men inside the car was armed with a gun and shot the victim. The car left the scene in an unknown direction.
Officer Brandon Maynard says he does not believe the shooting was a road rage incident, "but it is still under investigation," he told News 3's Merris Badcock.
Police do not know if the victim and suspect are known to each other.
Ten minutes later, units responded to the second shooting in 12900 block of Hussey Court just before 10:30 p.m., where a they found a 21-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
"It appears there were a group of subjects in the upstairs apartment. She was in the downstairs apartment, and unfortunately, she was shot," said Maynard.
She was transported to the hospital with a life threatening injury as well.
Despite the violence, Officer Brandon Maynard says Newport News is still a safe place.
"I have children that go to Newport News schools. If I thought Newport News was an unsafe place, and shootings were happening every weekend, I wouldn't have my kids go to these schools."
Residents who are concerned about their surroundings only need to do one thing: "If you see something suspicious, call it in," said Maynard. "You are not wasting our time, this is what we're here for."
Both shootings remain under investigation.
If you have any information that could help police, take action and call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. If your anonymous tip leads to an arrest, you could get up to $1,000 cash.
