RICHMOND, Va. — A man was injured in a gun fight right before a planned gun violence prevention meeting in Richmond's East End Tuesday.
City leaders and the National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform gathered at the Saint Peters Church directly following the shooting, during which more than two dozen rounds were fired from multiple guns in an alley near the church and a nearby convenience store.
Police found one victim with non-life-threatening wounds to his leg. That victim was not cooperating with their investigation.
By the time community members arrived, crime tape had been removed and investigators had pulled away from the scene.
Richmond
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"The irony is not lost on me that we are here to talk about gun violence prevention, and we see it happening," said Richmond Mayor Danny Avula. "I don't know anything about whether more than one person was involved, but the reality is that there are too many guns on the street and we've got to address that."
Avula pointed to lower violence statistics and existing partnerships as signs the city is moving in the right direction.
"We are trying to make sure that we identify folks who are at high risk for violence and we wrap them around with the services and supports that they need to make different choices, and we've got to stay at that work," Avula said. "Now, yeah, it's been a hard week, but that's always true at the beginning of the summer. The other thing that we know is that, right now, we're running about 30% lower than where we were this time last year."
Avula also cited recent state legislative action as part of the city's broader strategy.
"We've leaned on our state partners to bring tighter gun legislation, and thankfully they've done that, and we're going to be putting a lot of that into practice this upcoming year ... July 1, when the assault rifle ban goes into play," Avula said. "We'll continue to need to look for other tools and address the plethora of guns that are out here."
Tuesday's shooting served as a real-time reminder of the challenge facing several Richmond neighborhoods and the urgency behind the discussion that took place inside the church.
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