RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – According to the Richmond Police Department, five people were shot dead in an apartment complex on the Midlothian Turnpike Tuesday night. One person has been killed and another is in critical condition.
The victims were identified as two adult women, two teenage girls, and a 3 month old girl. The 3 month old is in critical condition.
Police say the person killed was one of the two adult women. The rest of the people shot were hospitalized, two have non-life-threatening injuries and two have life-threatening injuries.
ONGOING COVERAGE: Filming on the Midlothian Turnpike at The Belt Atlantic Apartments
Police describe the area where gunshots were fired as “a quad full of kids”. At the moment, they believe that the shooters were targeting a single apartment, not a person.
The Belt Atlantic apartment complex on the south side of Richmond was formerly called Midlothian Village Apartments. It is across from George Wythe High School.
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“Armed men appeared in one of the breezes and opened fire,” said Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith. “It seems that they were targeting a specific dwelling, not necessarily people or individuals, but they had no consideration for the people who were out there.”
Smith says the shooting was a “heinous act”.
BREAKING: Five women were shot dead in Richmond tonight, including a baby. One victim is an adult, one is 15 years old, two are 14 years old and one is three months old and has serious injuries. Police Chief Gerald Smith says one person died but didn’t say who. No arrests. @ 8NEWS pic.twitter.com/TQMG7E3Gvy
– Ben Dennis 8News (@broadcastben_) April 28, 2021
Shots were returned after the initial shots, currently they don’t know who did it. Chief Smith encourages the community to provide answers.
“At that point, the Richmond Police Department, parents and loved ones, would ask anyone who knows something to call us right away because we know someone out here who knows what happened, what happened and what the motives were and who the shooters were, ”said Smith.
There was a heavy police presence well into the night at The Belt Atlantic apartment complex on the 4000 block of Midlothian Turnpike.
The police react to the barricade situation in the St. John’s Wood Apartments, a man has been arrested
The Richmond Police Department issued an update on the shootings around 8:30 p.m.