January 03, 2020
The
Richmond Police Department is
asking for help from the general public as it investigates a homicide that
occurred early in the morning on Christmas Day in Shockoe Bottom.
“Stories
in the media about this homicide that include anonymous eyewitness accounts are
impeding our investigation,” said RPD Major Crimes Lieutenant Faith Flippo. “Those
stories may be giving the impression that our detectives are close to solving
the case. The problem is our detectives cannot rely on second-hand information
from news stories. They need to hear directly from those eyewitnesses, too -
even anonymously via Crime Stoppers – as they investigate the shooting.”
The
shooting occurred shortly before 1:00 a.m. on December 25th
at a nightclub in the 1800 block of E. Main Street. Three people were
wounded and one person, Kenneth I. Lawson, 37, of the 300 block of 3rd
Avenue, was killed.
“It
was a chaotic scene,” said Lt. Flippo. “We need to sort out exactly what
happened - before, during, and after the shooting. People who were there at the
time need to speak to our detectives and not just to reporters.”
Major
Crimes Detective B. Neifeld
will be available to speak to reporters at 3:00 p.m., Friday, January 3rd
at RPD Headquarters, 200 W. Grace Street. Those who plan to attend the
briefing should notify the Public Affairs Unit at (804) 646-0607.
Tips
may be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000 or at www.7801000.com. The P3 Tips smartphone app may also be used.
