By Lauren King
Virginian-Pilot
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Five children were rescued from a home in the 3600 block of Pierce St. by a police tactical response team after a man fired a gun at another man this afternoon.
Police said a man approached the front door of the house on Pierce Street and an unidentified man answered the door. The man inside the house fired a gun at the other man, who ran away. The man inside the house chased him and continued firing the gun. After a short chase the suspect went back inside the house and closed the door.
Shortly after 1 p.m., police arrived and found the man who had run away unharmed and waiting for police. Police also learned that there were children between the ages of 4 and 12 inside, said Detective Jan Westerbeck.
Officers made several attempts to contact the occupants, but were unsuccessful.
At about 5 p.m., the Portsmouth Police Tactical Response Unit entered the residence and took custody of the five children. All five were unharmed and they were returned to their family.
The children lived at the house on Pierce Street with their mother, who was not home at the time of the incident, police said.
The man who reportedly fired a gun from inside the house was not there, Westerbeck said. Police were still working to identify the suspect.
Anyone with information about the incident or the shooter is asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
Copyright 2009 Virginian-Pilot