NNPD: 17-year-old fatally shot on Gloucester Drive

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — It was another tough day in Newport News, where a 17-year-old died after a shooting on Gloucester Drive at Fairfax Avenue early Tuesday morning, a week after a 15-year-old was gunned down at his bus stop.

According to officials, officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Gloucester Drive just after 7 a.m. after receiving a ShotSpotter activation in the 5700 block of Arlington Avenue. This is near the Cottage Grove Apartments.

Officers arrived to the scene and found a 17-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Newport News Police were in the rain going door to door looking for information, tips and leads in the city’s latest shooting death.

A neighbor who did not want to give his name or be seen saw an officer trying to help the teen who died Tuesday.

“The cops were giving him CPR and everything, and then they put him in an ambulance and that was that,” the neighbor said.

Photos from the scene showed a large police presence, with two tents set up in the perimeter.

Police said this is not a school related incident, but would not say whether it was related to last week’s fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Menchville High School student.

Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, in a statement, said that “these acts of senseless violence are unacceptable.”

“I am aware of the tragic incident that occurred in our Southeast community this morning,” Jones said. “I am in constant communication with Chief of Police Steve Drew and City Manager Alan Archer. Earlier today, we held a joint press conference at the Newport News Police Department (NNPD) headquarters in response to this situation. The safety and well-being of our community remain our highest priority. These acts of senseless violence are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our city. This is still an active investigation, and the NNPD is working diligently to find answers. We are also working to ensure the family receives the support they need as we continue to process this tragedy in our community.”

Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew was emotional talking about the latest shooting death in the city.

“And the video that I saw, an officer trying to save that young man’s life, just because he got there,” Drew said. “Both cases will be solved.”

Jones put parents on notice.

“So the call is really to the community, right? We can only do so much,” Jones said. “We need to ensure that we are all hands-on deck, especially parents. If it appears like there is a juvenile doing these activities, do something.”

Drew said this was not a random act of violence. It was on purpose, and it was to kill.

“We have an individual or individuals that were looking for someone today, [and] they found him,” Drew said. “There was some type of altercation, gunshots, and someone lost their life.”

People were asking today, what is the city doing to provide non-violent avenues to walk?

“We have marked this ‘the Year of the youth’ here in Newport News,” Jones said. “We have our THRIVE program. We did a lot of summer programing and activities, and I know the chief already mentioned it, but we are down tremendously, year-over-year on our homicide rate.”

A neighbor we spoke to knows the pain of guns and bullets and lost sons.

“I felt so bad about that because I lost my son to gun violence,” the neighbor said. “You know what I am saying? To see another young man go through that, I feel for his mother, father, brother, sister, siblings. Now they are going through what I have been through.”