Identification Made in Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting on East Broad Street
Richmond Police detectives have identified the individual in the fatal officer-involved shooting yesterday as Kyle Harris, 36, of Richmond.
Last night at approximately 7:23 p.m., an armed mental party call was dispatched by the Department of Emergency Communications regarding an adult white male who had threatened a person with a knife in the 2900 block of East Broad Street.
Officers arrived and located the building where the subject, Harris, was located. A family member allowed officers into the building and officers began communicating to Harris and a female who were inside an interior room in the apartment. Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation for several minutes and have Harris and the female leave the room but they did not exit. Officers then heard a scream in the room. Officers, fearing for the safety of the occupant(s), made entry. An officer encountered Harris inside and fired his service weapon, striking Harris.
Life saving measures were provided to Harris by officers at the scene. He was transported to a local hospital where early this morning he succumbed to his injury.
An edged weapon was recovered at the scene. The female and the officers were not injured.
This incident is under investigation and, as with all officer-involved shootings, the department is conducting a thorough investigation of the circumstances. RPD policy is to release the name of the officer following investigation protocols to include a threat assessment.
Following fatal officer-involved shootings, the Richmond Police Department produces a Critical Incident Briefing video which will be released to the public. These videos feature video and audio from the investigation, which can include officer body-worn camera video(s), 911 recordings, photos from the scene and other materials.
“Transparency is crucial to maintaining trust with the public,” said Chief Rick Edwards. “The RPD investigates these incidents and produces Critical Incident Briefing videos within two weeks of the incident, when possible, to share with the public the details as we currently understand them.”
Anyone with further information about this incident is asked to call Major Crimes Detective M. Young at (804) 646-3926 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smartphones also may be used. All Crime Stoppers reporting methods are anonymous.
