December 14, 2017
The Richmond Police Department is investigating an
officer-involved shooting that occurred this morning in the north side of the
city.
At approximately 8:27 a.m., Thursday, December 14, an RPD
officer spotted a vehicle matching the description of one that was seen at a
shooting that had occurred minutes earlier in Gilpin Court. The officer
attempted to stop the vehicle but it sped away. A short pursuit ensued.
At approximately 8:29 a.m., the vehicle was forced to stop
in 3300 block of 4th Avenue when the roadway ended at a wooded area.
One occupant exited the vehicle and fired multiple shots from an assault-style
weapon at the officer, striking his cruiser. The officer returned fire,
striking the shooter. A second occupant exited the vehicle and fled into the
wooded area.
Additional RPD officers arrived at the scene. They applied a
tourniquet to the leg of the wounded shooter, likely saving his life, until
paramedics arrived to transport him to a local hospital. He is expected to
survive. An assault-style weapon was recovered near the vehicle.
At approximately 9:24 a.m., RPD officers located the second
occupant of the vehicle in the wooded area.
Charges have not yet been filed as RPD detectives are continuing their investigation. The shooter, an adult male, will not be identified at this time. The second occupant of the vehicle will not be identified as he is a juvenile male.
“This was outstanding police work by every officer involved
in the incident, especially the pursuing officer who faced a deadly threat
alone and acted without hesitation.” said RPD Chief Alfred Durham. “Think about
this - the responding officers who applied the tourniquet saved the life of a
man who had just attempted to kill one of their fellow officers. That is their
commitment to the preservation of life.”
The RPD officer who discharged his weapon has been placed on
paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the Department’s Force
Investigation Team, (FIT). Major Crimes Division detectives and forensic
examiners will use multiple officer and eyewitness accounts, physical evidence,
and body-camera footage to prepare a report that will be reviewed by Chief
Durham and submitted to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
The officer’s name will not be released until a retaliation
risk-assessment has been completed. The body-camera footage is considered to be
evidence and will not be released until the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office
has ruled on the incident.
The Gilpin Court shooting occurred at
approximately 8:24 a.m. in the 1200 block of St. John Street. The victim, an
adult male, is expected to survive.
