ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke has been shaken by yet another act of gun violence.
Police tell us they are investigating a homicide that occurred on Campbell Avenue Sunday around 1:20 a.m. that left one dead and two more injured.
10 News spoke with some Sunday who say they don’t always feel safe in Roanoke anymore.
Lillian Peak was in downtown Roanoke early Sunday morning when she heard sirens heading toward the scene.
“I saw three cops going down the road and didn’t know what was going on,” Peak said. “My friend said it was probably a shooting.”
Police say the shooting took place on Campbell Avenue SE — the same street where Benny Marconi’s is located.
Benny’s manager Kory Williams was in the last hour of his shift when he heard the gunshots just a few feet down.
“I looked out front and everyone was just running this way,” Williams said. “I come outside to get everybody back in.”
Williams ended up closing his restaurant early due to the shooting. He says incidents like this scare away potential customers.
“It does shoo away some of the non-nightlife people,” Williams said. “I think the people who do come down here regularly around that time are just used to it now.”
Latoya Ewell says incidents like this make her nervous about coming downtown after dark.
“I don’t like to come down here at certain times to get candy or to get pizza or to get ice cream because I’m scared that if I step out it’s going to be either a fight or a random drive-by,” Ewell said. “This isn’t even a big city and we’re dealing with big city issues. That’s a problem.”
Ewell says she fears for young people the most.
“Just simply be enjoying a Saturday night and possibly not come home because of the gun violence,” Ewell said.
No suspects were located on scene and no arrests have been made at this time. Roanoke police are asking for anyone with information to call the department immediately at (540) 344-8500.
