HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Henrico County Police are investigating a shooting that happened just off of Nine Mile Road shortly before noon Friday.
Police said they were called to the Fairfield shopping complex along Nine Mile Road and E. Cedar Fork Road around 11:48 a.m.
They said about seven shots were fired. No one was hit, but two storefronts and a car were.
Police said the investigating into the shooting and what led up to it is ongoing.
Witnesses said prior to the shooting there was a gathering of several dozen people in the parking lot for an apparent wake or memorial service in one of an event hall in the complex.
Preston Brown, who owns Famous Brown’s Soul Food restaurant in the complex, said he was inside preparing food when the shooting happened.
“All of a sudden, I hear what had to be a very large gun because it was, like, 'Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!' So, I went to the back door and when I looked out the back door everybody was running," Brown said. "They were running behind cars, they were running on the back of the building.”
One woman, who was working in a nearby business and did not want to be identified, was saddened by the shooting.
“We heard multiple gun shots, repeatedly, behind one another and we all got up and ran to the back of the building," she said. "I came to lock the door immediately and as I was locking the door I saw some teenagers running.”
Several other businesses in the complex, including an appliance store and daycare, were also open at the time of the shooting.
“No respect for other people. No respect for lives. We need to clean up our streets, get those people off the streets,” Brown said.
Friday’s shooting marked the third day in a row that Henrico County saw a shooting in broad daylight.
One shooting was in the 2300 block of Mechanicsville Turnpike on August 27 while the other one was August 26 near Delmont and Laburnum.
If you have any information about this or the other recent shootings, call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000 or submit a tip online at www.7801000.com. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smart phones may also be used. All three Crime Stoppers methods of contact are anonymous.
