Two people were injured by gunfire Sunday afternoon in Charlottesville after police responded to a report of shots fired near 11th Street Northwest and Grady Avenue. Officers arrived around 4 p.m. and recovered multiple shell casings at the scene, and both injured victims are receiving treatment. Investigators say the shooting does not appear to have been random.
According to CBS 19 News, Charlottesville police said preliminary information indicates the gunfire was targeted rather than a random act of violence. Police are continuing to process the scene and the investigation remains active, with officers expected to maintain a large presence in the area in the hours ahead. No suspect information or motive has been released.
A Corridor Under Watch
Following an earlier uptick in regional gun violence, Police Chief Michael Kochis planned to focus on shooting hot spots and build a crisis response team, per reporting from The DTM.
Sunday's shooting also comes eight days after a separate incident of public gunfire in the city. On September 12, Charlottesville police investigated gunfire on the Downtown Mall near a CVS storefront after an early-morning disorder, where seven 9mm shell casings were recovered, as Hoodline previously reported. That case involved property damage to a business and prompted police to release surveillance images to identify the suspect.
What Virginia Law Says About Public Shootings
Under Code of Virginia § 18.2-280, willfully discharging a firearm in a public street or gathering place is a Class 6 felony punishable by one to five years in prison if bodily injury results, or a Class 1 misdemeanor if no one is hurt, according to the Virginia Law Portal. If prosecutors can establish that a shooter intended to maim, disfigure, disable, or kill, Code of Virginia § 18.2-51 allows for a Class 3 felony charge carrying five to 20 years in prison when malice is proven, or a Class 6 felony when the act was unlawful but without malice. No charges have been announced in connection with Sunday's shooting.
A City Reporting Fewer Shootings Overall
The incident lands against a backdrop of declining gun violence citywide. The City of Charlottesville reported in February that gun-related incidents dropped 51% from 2024 to 2025, alongside a 10.9% overall reduction in crime, with officials attributing the decline to strategic enforcement and community partnerships. Neighboring Albemarle County reported a similar trend, with a 30% drop in gun violence and a 23% drop in overall violent crime in 2025, according to the Albemarle County Police Department's annual report, as covered by Cville Right Now.
Charlottesville's police department has also pursued broader reforms in recent years. In August 2024, the department requested an organizational assessment from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to review its strategic priorities, community engagement, and crime-prevention practices, according to the City of Charlottesville. Last June, police held their first voluntary, no-questions-asked firearm safety and buyback event at Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church, part of a proactive push by the city to remove unauthorized or unwanted firearms from circulation.
Even so, individual incidents of public gunfire continue to unsettle residents. Charlottesville recorded its first gun-related homicide of 2025 in January of that year, when 22-year-old Jahaanz Wilson was fatally shot on the 200 block of Water Street, Cville Right Now reported at the time. Sunday's shooting remains under active investigation, and police have not released further details about a suspect or motive.
