4 People Shot During 'Tough Night' in Greenville | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Two shootings that left four people injured and three armed robberies marked a crime-riddled night in Greenville.

    Police responded to a fight and shooting at the Fusion Skate Park around 11:30 Saturday night. They say the trouble there spilled over to a convenience store 15 minutes later. Four people were shot between the two locations. All of this comes as police face mounting pressure to stop this kind of violence in the city.

    Greenville Police Sgt. Carlton Williams sums up the weekend best. "Even with all the officers we had out, it proved to be a pretty tough night for the police department," said Williams.

    The host of a private birthday party at Fusion Skate Park shut it down after fights broke out. That is when the first shot was fired, leaving a man in serious condition at Pitt County Memorial Hospital.

     Police were standing only 50 feet away at the time of the first shooting. "This kind of shows that people have no regard for who's around when a shooting occurs," said Williams.

    Nine on Your Side talked with people at Fusion. They did not want to go on camera, but say they are doing everything they can to increase security in the area, like adding more police officers and flood lights in the parking lot.



    Police say the crowd moved to the Sheetz store on Charles Blvd. Three people there were shot 15 minutes after the first shooting. One of them was a woman working as a security guard who was hit in the leg.

    This time, two ECU police officers were standing nearby. In all, Greenville police put more than 30 extra officers on the streets as part of the department's latest gang-suppression plan.

    "We are suppressing a lot of activity but, at the same time, when you start suppressing activity in one location, it may allow it to flare up in other areas," said Williams.

    Police say that crime moving outside of previous hotspots is a sign the plan is working. They are still investigating the shootings and have not released any suspect information.

    The three victims at the Sheetz store only suffered minor injuries. Police say the owner of the Fusion Skate Park agreed to stop renting the facility at night after this recent incident.

    Original Content can be found at the Eyewitness News 9 website: http://www2.wnct.com/news/.