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'It's back to back' | 2 men shot near Portsmouth apartment complex in Churchland West

Two people are recovering from their injuries after a shooting broke out in the Churchland West neighborhood of Portsmouth.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Someone shot two men near The Connelly apartments sometime Thursday afternoon, Portsmouth police said in a tweet

"We don't have a lot of crime or stuff going on in this area, so it's very unusual," said a neighbor in the Churchland West area, who wished to stay anonymous.

Detectives laid down dozens of evidence markers. For hours, they blocked off a portion of Towne Point Road to collect evidence. 

It appeared a black sedan also got caught in the crossfire along the 3800 block. 

Two men are hurt, according to Portsmouth police. They said one is badly injured; the other is expected to survive.

The anonymous neighbor in Churchland West called for an end to the violence.

"Where are we going to be 20 years from now? Who's going to be our generation?" he asked. 

On Wednesday, Portsmouth police reported at least six gunshot victims  — including a child — in the city. They are expected to survive, apart from one man who police said has serious injuries. 

"Here we go again in this cycle of shootings and it's back to back," said Freddie Taylor Sr., president of Stop the Violence 757. "Kids are about to get out of school, no programs to go to. So, what do we do?"

Taylor worries about summer violence. 

“We’re hoping it doesn’t spread like wildfire, that it won’t catch up like it did before. So, we’re hoping the detectives and police officers will stay on top of it and find out what’s really going on," he said.

The grassroots organization advocates for and creates programs, aimed at preventing violence.

"We're partnering with communities, schools and all the other organizations. Because the main focus and the only focus is these children," said Taylor. 

To get youth involved in something positive, leaders with Stop the Violence 757 are collecting new and gently used bikes until Saturday morning. They'll then donate the bikes to children in need.

The group plans to host more events this weekend and this summer.

Credit: Stop the Violence 757

Portsmouth police have yet to release suspect information in any of the shootings in city this week.

If you know anything that could help detectives, call the area's Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. You can also leave an anonymous tip online by using P3Tips. If your information leads to an arrest, you could get a cash reward.

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