8 injured, 2 dead in multiple Virginia Beach shootings

 Two people are dead and eight wounded following three separate shooting incidents in Virginia Beach, Virginia, late Friday night, authorities said.

"We have a very chaotic incident, a very chaotic night in the beach," Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said during a press briefing following the shootings. "Many different crime scenes."

The gunfire started shortly after 11 p.m. local time. Officers patrolling the 1900 block of Atlantic Avenue in a resort area first heard multiple gunshots around 11:20 p.m. At the crime scene, in the area of 17th Street and 22nd Street, eight gunshot victims were found, according to Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate.

PHOTO: Virginia Beach police work the scene of a shooting the night before in Virginia Beach, Va., March 27, 2021. (John C. Clark/AP)

They were transported to local hospitals with injuries ranging from serious to life-threatening.

MORE: 7 people shot, 3 left in critical condition in Philadelphia 

Police believe the shooting was preceded by a conflict that led to a physical fight, based on the preliminary investigation.

"At some point during the physical altercation, several individuals produced firearms and began shooting at each other, resulting in numerous people being wounded," the Virginia Beach Police Department said in a statement released Saturday afternoon.

PHOTO: Police investigate the scenes of multiple shootings that happened close together Friday night in Virginia Beach, Va., March 26, 2021. (WVEC)

While at the initial crime scene, officers heard gunshots in the area. Responding officers found an adult female victim in the 300 block of 19th Street near Pacific Avenue, police said. She died of her gunshot injuries at the scene, according to police.

There is no suspect information yet for the fatal shooting, which is believed at this time to be unrelated to the initial shooting, authorities said Saturday afternoon.