ROANOKE, VA – With nearly a dozen incidents since 2020, Downtown Roanoke has seen its share of gun violence.
There’s at least one shooting per year in the same area – at the 100 block of Campbell Avenue, right around the corner of Williamson Road.
10 News spent some time looking into every shooting over the past few years that has happened downtown.
The most recent one, before this weekend, was in April at the Shishka Hookah Lounge which left one person dead and two injured.
Other shootings left multiple people injured and cars and businesses damaged.
Most of the other shootings can be pinpointed to the parking lot of 202 Social House, across the street from Shiska and right behind the Status Lounge from this weekend’s shooting.
Roanoke officials previously identified this spot as a problem area.
Back in 2021, city council members met with more than three dozen business owners to address safety concerns after a downtown shooting.
They also worked with VDOT to put portable lights in the parking lot, for increased visibility and safety, but that was only temporary.
We reached back out to police on Monday for updates on suspects and victims, but they said they had no new information.
We also went downtown to speak with businesses about how they feel shootings affect business, but they were either closed or did not want to speak on camera.
Police haven’t released any information on potential suspects. This is still an ongoing investigation.