HAMPTON, VA – A fatal shooting at a Rally’s Drive-In in Hampton claimed the life of a 17-year-old boy on Wednesday evening. Local authorities are currently on the hunt for a suspect in connection with the startling incident. According to the Hampton Police Division, the suspect is a black male who is approximately 5’9″ tall. When he was last seen, he was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and white shoes.
The incident unfolded at the Rally’s on West Mercury Boulevard. Officers arrived at the scene of the shooting in the 1000 block of West Mercury Boulevard near North Armistead Avenue at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Investigations revealed that the teenage victim and an unknown male got into a physical altercation, during which the latter produced a firearm and shot the boy. The suspect had fled the scene before the arrival of the officers. The injured boy was rushed to a hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The Rally’s outlet- a frequent scene of activity- was unusually quiet on the Thanksgiving holiday with doors closed in mourning of the tragic event. Flowers were arranged near the speaker box in the drive-thru, a poignant tribute to the young boy’s memory.
A witness, identified as Jones, was in the adjacent parking lot during the shooting and recounts hearing the sounds of the confrontation, “It was like a loud sound and then a screaming and then a car that just ‘skurt!’ and drove away.”
Jones, a regular at Rally’s, expressed her enjoyment of the friendly interaction with the facility’s staff but was deeply saddened and disturbed by the incident. “It’s a senseless crime and it definitely needs to stop.”
Authorities are requesting help and urge anyone who might have witnessed the incident or has any relevant information to reach out to local police.