2 dead, 8 injured in multiple shootings

Two people were killed and eight others were injured Friday night in Virginia Beach, Va., in multiple incidents, including a physical fight that turned into a shootout, city officials said.

One of the people killed was a woman, and the other was a man who was shot by police in a separate incident, authorities said.

According to a police news release, the violence began in the 1900 block of Atlantic Avenue in the oceanfront resort area of the city when “a group of individuals were involved in some type of conflict that resulted in a physical fight.”

“At some point during the physical altercation, several individuals produced firearms and began shooting at each other, resulting in numerous people being wounded,” the release states.

Officers patrolling the area heard “multiple gunshots” about 11:20 p.m., police said, and when they arrived they found several gunshot victims.

Minutes later, Virginia Beach police officers heard more gunfire several blocks away, police said.

When they arrived at that scene, in the 300 block of 19th Street, they found a woman who had been shot, they said. She died at the scene.

“It is not currently believed this shooting incident is currently related to the initial incident,” police said in a release.

Police said an officer also encountered a man at the second scene. According to police, the man was armed with a weapon and an officer shot him. The man, who police did not identify, also died at the scene.

Japharii Jones, president of the local Black Lives Matter group BLM 757, said that he has been in touch with the family and that the man who police shot was not involved in the evening’s violence and was not threatening police when he was shot.

“He approached the officer to say hello,” said Jones, adding that he and others would be protesting.

Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate told reporters at a news conference that police had encountered “a very chaotic night” at the beach. “Many different crime scenes.”

Several people are in custody following the shootings, police said, but it remains unclear of their involvement. The investigation into the Virginia Beach shootings is ongoing, police said.

Police also said that an officer was injured “at some point during these three incidents,” after being struck by a vehicle. The officer was treated at a hospital and released.

No other information was available about the suspects or the victims, according to the statement. The officer involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave while the matter is investigated, the city said. Police said the officer is a member of the Special Operations division and has been with the Virginia Beach police for five years.

The attacks in Virginia Beach come just on the heels of the devastating mass shootings this month in Atlanta and Boulder, Colo., that killed 18 people combined.