HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Six people, including two juveniles, were shot over the past three days in Henrico County.
Crime stats are soaring in the region with 21 homicides so far this year in Henrico compared to 14 in all of last year.
On Friday morning, county leaders, including Police Chief Eric English, met with Sen. Mark Warner to discuss gun violence in the region.
English described one way young people are getting ahold of weapons.
"Look at the number of weapons taken out of vehicles across the region,” English said. “They are stolen out of vehicles because either they're left unlocked or people to obtain those and those are guns getting into the hands of our youth."
Less than nine hours later, there would be five people shot in different parts of the county.
On Fawcett Lane, Crime Insider sources said a minor was accidentally shot by his friend. Sources say a 15-year-old was charged.
Two more were shot on Crenshaw Road.
Many bullets were also fired into the streets on Delmont, resulting in two victims. Crime Insider sources say one of the men shot on Delmont had ties to a home-grown gang.
"We've seen loosening of restrictions for what you can even do with juveniles,” said Miles Turner from Law Enforcement Consulting, LLC. “There are certain things you can't detain juveniles for that you could two or three years ago and they know it. The kids pick up on that stuff pretty quick."
Turner says young people have done their homework and are very aware of what they can and can't get away with.
Several at Friday’s crime summit agreed getting to the youth before the streets do is one way to steer them away from violent paths.
"There's a build-up to this thing, so when you start at a young age and try to get kids to see a different way, I think that's the methodology we will have to use to get to the grass roots of what is actually occurring in our community,” said English.
