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Two people were killed and at least eight injured in Virginia Beach shootings

A shooting in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Friday night appears to have resulted from a fight among a group of people, police said in a press release Saturday afternoon.

Another incident in which a woman died is still being investigated, but police say they do not believe it is related to the first shooting — or an additional case in which an officer fatally shot a man.

The initial shooting call came after a group of people got into an argument, the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) said.

“At some point during the physical altercation, several individuals produced firearms and began shooting at each other, resulting in numerous people being wounded,” the release said.

As officers responded to this incident, police heard more gunshots nearby and found a woman shot. She died at the scene, police said.

Police on Saturday identified the woman as Deshayla Harris, 29, and said she was a “bystander” at that shooting.

Nearby, a uniformed VBPD officer “encountered an armed citizen which resulted in a police involved shooting,” according to the press release. A man identified Saturday as Donovon Lynch, 25, died from his injuries at the scene, police said.

At some point while all of this was going on, a VBPD officer was hit by a vehicle, according to the release. The officer has been treated and released from a nearby hospital.

Police said 10 people were injured by gunfire, including the two who died.

Local hospitals in the Virginia Beach area received 10 victims of the multiple shootings but it is unclear if these included injured people who were not shot.

Police said the officer involved in the man’s fatal shooting is being placed on administrative assignment during an investigation, which the release said is standard procedure.

No one died at the scene of the first shooting, on Atlantic Avenue, but three people were arrested and charged with seven counts of felonious assault, police said.

Police say more officers are being assigned to the Oceanfront Resort Area through the remainder of the weekend. The VBPD says it is working to determine if the three shooting scenes are related.

US Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, said his “heart is with Virginia Beach today” on Twitter.

“I feel sick at the news of yet another senseless mass shooting — in a community already scarred by the scourge of gun violence,” he said. “We cannot stand by as more families lose loved ones. The time for Congress to act on gun violence is NOW.”

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