Lynchburg police probing string of shootings

Check out an interactive map of recent Lynchburg shootings

A string of four shootings overnight Monday in Lynchburg injured one man and left several bullet holes in cars and a house.

Investigators are trying to determine if there is a link between the shootings, which all happened in just less than 10 hours from 5 p.m. Monday to about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, said Capt. Brandon Zuidema of the Lynchburg Police Department.

Whether there is a gang connection to any of the shootings is also under investigation.

The shootings are the latest incidents of multiple shots aimed at cars and houses in the city over the past three weeks.

The crimes have police investigators working long hours in search of suspects, and prompted this warning Tuesday from Police Chief Parks Snead to those who committed the crimes:

“Think twice, because you need to have 20 to life to spend (in prison),” he said. “You will be caught. You will be punished.”

The first incident Monday happened at 5 p.m. on the street in front of 108 Federal St. Two people were sitting in a car parked in front of that address when another vehicle, possibly a red older model Jeep Cherokee, pulled up beside the car, Zuidema said.

Someone got out of the Jeep and shot at the other car, hitting it several times, he said. No one was injured. The suspect vehicle left the scene and police are still searching for it.

Then, just before 10 p.m., police responded to what they believe to be a drive-by shooting in the 500 block of Chambers Street.

There, they found Michael Avon McMillan, 25, of Evington, with a gunshot wound to the face. He was transported to the UVa Medical Center.

Zuidema said investigators are trying to determine if McMillan was the intended target of the shooting; however, he said the shooting likely was not random.

Police responded again to 108 Federal St. around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday for reports of shots fired into a house. No one was reported injured.

Less than two hours later, just before 2:30 a.m., police said, numerous shots were fired in the 1000 block of Pierce Street. A vehicle parked in front of 1015 Pierce St. was shot multiple times, but no one was injured.

Zuidema said these have not been random acts of violence; the parties knew or knew of each other before the shootings.

“Unfortunately these are people who seem to be resorting to violence to resolve their conflicts,” he said.

Snead said police will know better how to prevent similar violence once investigators determine the circumstances surrounding the shootings.

Investigators hope to make at least one arrest today, Zuidema said.

“These are not predictable events,” Zuidema said. “We encourage our folks to be as visible as they can on patrol and to be concerned for their personal safety and that of the community. If these are four separate incidents, that’s troubling in one way, but it they are four related incidents that is troubling in another way.”

Zuidema said that while the shootings have been closer to the downtown area, they still have been spread across about one-third of the city, and the more densely populated portion at that.

Snead encouraged residents to pay attention to what is happening in their neighborhoods.

“Little problems can turn into big problems pretty quickly,” Snead said. “Pay attention to your personal safety and if you are aware of a suspicious situation, don’t keep it to yourself. Report it to the police. Be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.”

Investigators ask that anyone with information on these shootings call the Lynchburg Police Department’s (434) 455-6054 or Central Virginia Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900.