VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — On Monday, Virginia Beach officials held a press conference to provide updates in the weekend shooting at the Oceanfront that left eight injured. They also used the platform to urge for more support from both the community and the General Assembly.
Watch full: Virginia Beach officials hold press conference following Oceanfront shooting that left eight injured
“The time is now for us to act, and we must act together. We must build the bridges that we need with the various entities that will put this together. It’s a national problem, it’s a local problem,” Mayor Bobby Dyer said during a press conference held Monday.
The mayor asked for legislators in the General Assembly to do ride-alongs with Virginia Beach police to better understand current issues being faced.
Officers with the Virginia Beach Police Department were patrolling the area when they responded to reports of gunfire and a ShotSpotter alert around 9:51 p.m. in the 1400 block of Atlantic Avenue.
Watch previous coverage: 8 injured in Virginia Beach Oceanfront shooting; 2 suspects sought, police say
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said the incident happened despite increased staffing at the Oceanfront since early March. He added that while additional staffing is expected in this area each year, it usually isn’t necessary this early in the season.
“Historically that is not something we’ve had to do as a police department,” Neudigate said.
Police say 18-year-old Jamya Williams was arrested. She was one of eight people injured in the shooting. According to court documents obtained by News 3, she was found at the scene with a gunshot wound to her ankle and a gun nearby.
Watch previous coverage: Woman arrested after allegedly firing shots in Oceanfront shooting, court documents say
In an update shared during the press conference, Neudigate said 18-year-old Isaiah Charity, who is from Richmond, turned himself in.
Charity was charged with eight counts each of aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and reckless handling of a firearm with injury, according to police.
The court documents say cameras at the scene showed Williams at a nearby sidewalk when two other people began to fight. Williams fired shots northward before she herself got shot. Two additional shooters were seen in the footage, according to court documents.
Watch related coverage: New court docs detail March 7 Oceanfront shooting that left six injured
Williams admitted to this shooting, according to court documents. She remains hospitalized.
Williams is accused of illegally possessing two firearms and faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, reckless handling of a firearm causing injury and violations of a protective order.
A third suspect has not been identified but is described as a Black male wearing a dark-colored hoodie with possible red lettering on the back.
The seven other people injured include adults and juveniles from across Virginia and one from Georgia. Police did not release their names. All were taken to local hospitals with injuries ranging from non-life-threatening to serious; police said all are expected to survive.
Chief Neudigate and Mayor Dyer urged lawmakers to give the city more enforcement tools.
A bill in the General Assembly would've let localities declare areas pop-up event zones, where guns wouldn't be allowed.
The bill did not advance this year.
Newly elected Delegate Andrew Rice says he's all ears to bring the issue back up.
"We're going to make sure that we have a bill that doesn't infringe on people's rights - that can go and have bipartisan support," Rice told News 3.
The investigation remains ongoing. Police are urging for anyone with information or video from the scene to contact the Virginia Beach Police Department or submit tips anonymously through Crime Solvers.
