VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate addressed the Virginia Beach City Council Tuesday afternoon about the deadly shooting of a 15-year-old girl.

The meeting began with an update on the fatal shooting that happened at Mount Trashmore on Saturday.

Previous Coverage: 15-year-old girl killed, man injured in shooting at Mount Trashmore

Neudigate said police originally believed the shooting was connected to a fight that broke out inside the carnival. However police now believe the two incidents are separate and unrelated.

The chief told council members that the investigation has been challenging due misinformation that was given to police. He said that no one has stepped forward to be an independent eye witness and that police have been lied to repeatedly.

“This investigation is still of the utmost priority, like I mentioned our detectives are working non stop. What I would ask for the media to take out to the community, that was a lot of people there, we know someone knows who was involved,” said Chief Neudigate. “No matter how trivial you think that information is, please bring that to us. No matter how trivial you think that footage you may have captured on your phone that night may be, please go to one of our websites and upload it to our digital evidence platform so that our detective can go through a help solve this case”

While discussing overall crime statistics, Neudigate said crime is down 13% in Virginia Beach with a 36% decrease in homicides and shootings.

“So while this incident is horrific, and it is. We have to be understanding of what the actual data looks like,” said Neudigate.

Neudigate pointed out that VBPD formed the Youth Services Unit in January 2023 to provide mentorship, guidance and relationship building with the youth in Virginia Beach.

The chief told council members his department plans to expand their outreach on Instagram and other social media platforms. He said that on a daily basis police see youth on Instagram with guns that rival the quality and caliber of what officers carry.

Mayor Dyer said that he is trying to get the state legislature to enact legislation for anger management and de-escalation skills in schools.

“This is a national crisis and certainly Virginia Beach is not immune. And while were grateful for a safe city we do have to be proactive,” said Mayor Bobby Dyer.

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