Teen dies of injuries from Sunday night shooting on Mistletoe Street in Petersburg
PETERSBURG — One of the two juveniles shot Sunday night in the area of Mistletoe and Harding streets has died of his injuries, police said early Monday evening.
Laquan Smith, 15, of Wakefield, died shortly after arrival at the hospital, Deputy Chief Emanuel Chambliss said in an email. The second victim also was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life threatening wounds.
According to police reports, the boys were found with gunshot wounds around 9:35 p.m. Sunday in the 300 block of Mistletoe Street in Petersburg's Delectable Heights neighborhood.
No motive or information about suspects has been released. Shortly after the shooting, police released an image of a late-model silver Ford Explorer that was seen in the area around the time the two kids were shot.
If anyone has information about the shooting, they are asked to contact Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at (804) 861-1212 or use the P3Tips app on a mobile device.
Smith is Petersburg's 11th homicide victim of the year, according to police records. Last year at this time, 11 people were murdered in the city.
He is also the second 15-year-old boy to be gunned down in 2022. On April 2, 15-year-old Tyjuan Crenshaw was shot to death at the Lieutenant's Run Apartment complex off Johnson Road. An 18-year-old and two 16-year-olds have been charged with Crenshaw's killing.
Before Sunday night, Petersburg had gone 43 days without a homicide. The last recorded murder was July 2, when 19-year-old Toni Knight was shot as she carried groceries into her apartment at the ArtistSpace Lofts on Perry Street. Three people are facing charges in that incident.
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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Wakefield teen shot to death in Petersburg Sunday night
