LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Lynchburg man is dead after a shooting on Monday evening.
At 5:55 p.m., authorities responded to a reported shooting at the Family Dollar on Fort Avenue, according to the Lynchburg Police Department.
They arrived to find 23-year-old Erica Jade Boykin, who had been shot, was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital and later died because of his injuries.
Police have not released any information about a suspect or suspects.
While they don’t believe there’s a threat to people living in the area, they said the rise of violent crime is concerning.
“This is the seventh homicide of the year,” said Carrie Dungan, the community relations coordinator for the Police Department.
That’s more than double the number from last year in the Hill City.
“We are going to continue to engage with our state and federal partners to address some of this violent activity. We need our community to come together and provide resources because we can’t do it ourselves,” Dungan says. “Our detectives, our officers are putting forth all of their effort and giving everything they have, but we have to do it together.”
While police searched for evidence, neighbors like Larry Hubbard gathered around.
“I was just passing through at the time. It seems like there is a lot of senseless shootings going on around here. It really needs to stop,” said Hubbard. “This is our neighborhood, this is where we live, this is Lynchburg, Virginia.”
Hubbard said he’s lived in Lynchburg his entire life and that violence has no home here.
“Why do you have to use a gun? Leave that stuff at home,” he adds. “We have innocent people going to stores, coming out of stores and they have to see all of this? It needs to stop.”
Police also said a child was involved in this incident and while they couldn’t say the child’s relationship to Boykin or where he or she is now, police did say that the child is okay.
“A lot of these individuals who are either involved or who have died are young people,” Dungan added. “We need to work together as a community to provide resources as an alternative to violent activity.”
Police did also say that Boykin was transgender; however, at this time, they don’t have any reason to believe this was a hate crime.
They are; however, looking into the possibility of domestic violence.
Police encourage anyone in the area around 6 p.m. Monday, to give Detective Miller a call at 434-455-6160.
Below is the report from 10 News at 11 on Monday: