2 teenagers shot in New Castle
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (KDKA) — Police are investigating an overnight shooting in New Castle that injured two 19-year-olds.
The young women were injured in a shooting on Wednesday morning at the West Grant Street Housing Complex on Halco Drive.
Nancy Holmes has lived in the housing complex for 20 years. She said she's still frightened every time she hears that familiar sound of gunfire.
KDKA-TV's Shelley Bortz: "Are you scared to live here?"
Holmes: "Well, yeah. But you have to deal with the consequences."
It was just after midnight on Wednesday when Holmes heard gunshots next door and called 911. When officers arrived, they found the first victim, who was shot in the back.
Just a few miles down the road, a second victim walked into the West Side Mini-Mart on West Washington Street around 12:20 a.m. The manager told KDKA-TV that the victim said she didn't have money for gas and needed help because she was shot in the leg.
That employee called for an ambulance.
"We're still early in the investigation. We're doing interviews, reviewing videos. So, it's too early to say exactly what happened," New Castle Police Chief Robert Salem said.
Salem said the New Castle Police Department has a good track record of holding people accountable for their crimes. In the last 10 years, his department has solved 46 out of 49 homicides.
A newly formed task force, the Street Crimes Unit, was also activated last week and will target solving the more violent crimes in the city.
"Whenever something is happening in the city that needs specialized attention, that regular patrol can't handle, our Street Crimes Unit will," Salem said.
Police did not have an update on the conditions of the victims.