RICHMOND, Va. -- There's serious concern amongst community activists who are trying to keep the peace in one of Richmond's housing communities.
On Wednesday night, they made their voices heard following the shooting of a 16-year-old boy in Whitcomb Court.
Witnesses say the sound of teens playing basketball was overpowered by gunfire on Deforrest Street in Richmond Wednesday afternoon.
"I'm really perplexed right now and I'm worried about the summer because this is just an introduction to what summer will be like if they don't set aside funds to build programs for our young teenagers," Pastor Valerie Coley said.
Sources tell CBS 6 that the 16-year-old was walking through a courtyard and watching others play basketball when he was shot multiple times. Other teenagers were in the line of fire but were not injured.
"It makes me sick to my stomach. We are coming here way too much and it seems we've normalized these homicides and shootings in the city of Richmond," Tavares Floyd said. "This is not normal. It's not normal to talk about our babies over and over - we should be talking about what they're going to do for the summer. What recreation is available to prevent these things from happening continuously?"
Tavares Floyd, who is running for City Council, was out with other Richmond Police Department chaplains and activists, trying to see why the bloodshed has continued in Richmond's public housing communities.
They are hoping to come up with solutions to the violence that has continued to tear families apart.
"The city is a representation of its leadership. I'm not pointing fingers. It is what it is. We have too many young children. I'm talking about children that have a purpose but don't fulfill it," Coley said. "We can point fingers and blame the parents and do all of that but it's not about the blame game. It's about making a difference and that needs to be our focus."
The teenager was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
If you have any information about the shooting, Richmond police ask you to call Major Crimes Detective Michael Ahnstrom at (804) 646-3913 or contact Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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