Vandals tear through Church Hill neighborhood | News

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- More than a dozen homes were vandalized in Church Hill early Sunday morning. Bricks smashed through windows and trash cans went flying at cars and into the street. Neighbors say around 30 teenagers were prowling near R, 29 and 31 Streets, leaving behind a trail of damage.

Resident Linwood Crutchfild said he heard the shatter of a window. Both his and his brother's apartments were hit.

"I jumped up because it sounded like a shot…My brother was sitting on the sofa, and a brick came over the top of his head...I came outside and saw a bunch of kids," says Crutchfild.

The group even took a trash can and threw it against Nathaniel Whickham III's nearby car. He says he doesn't see police in the neighborhood as often as he'd like.

"They (police) don't come through here enough," says Whickham.

Shaquwan Simmons agrees.  A brick rocketed through his mother's home.

"If they are patrolling, why are these kids out at 12 p.m. at night?" questions Simmons.

Some neighbors say they believe the kids came from the nearby Mosby Court area. Monday evening, police and community members went door to door in that neighborhood, hearing concerns directly from residents.

"This is a continued effort of our command walks. We do this every month," says Richmond Police Chief Bryan Norwood of the regularly scheduled neighborhood outreach. "We try to bring those resources to bear to make the community better."

However, some neighbors think the vandalism wasn't a case of bored kids. An officer-involved shooting erupted in Mosby Court earlier that evening.

"I think this is retaliation. You're stepping in my boundary zone. We're going to do something else to make you step out," says Simmons.

Police say there's no connection between these two cases. Officers also wouldn't comment on whether patrols have decreased in the Church Hill area, declining to speak on tactical operations. However, police say they are always accepting tips from the community on crimes like this.

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