Norfolk, Virginia, police officers shot and killed a man in an exchange of gunfire Tuesday morning outside a Larchmont apartment complex while attempting to arrest the man on outstanding warrants, police said.
The shooting occurred at about 5:10 a.m. in the 5500 block of Monroe Place in Norfolk, on the same block as Larchmont Apartments and near Larchmont Elementary School.
The man died at the scene, according to police. His identity has not been released.
Police said they were attempting to arrest the man on multiple felony charges when he opened fire. Four officers returned fire, according to police, critically injuring the man.
“Upon locating the wanted suspect, officers assigned to the Special Operations Team, identified themselves as police officers to the wanted suspect,” the Norfolk Police Department said in a statement. “After identifying themselves, the suspect began to shoot at the officers.”
Norfolk police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officers at the scene, who declined to provide additional information, were seen interviewing residents at Larchmont Apartments Tuesday morning following the shooting.
A police forensic unit blocks the view of the scene in front of the office of Larchmont Apartments after a man was shot and killed by an officer on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Gavin Stone)
A neighbor who lives just down the street from the scene said she heard between 10 and 20 gunshots in quick succession. She didn’t hear any shouting of any kind before the shots rang out.
“There were no cars, no sound, just woken by the bullets,” said the woman, who declined to give her name, adding that violence in the neighborhood is rare.
Members of the man’s family gathered at the scene to mourn his death and to seek answers from law enforcement. They set up lawn chairs across the street from the police line, expressing shock and confusion about how this could have happened. A young woman walked away from the group with two others who were consoling her before she broke down, collapsing in the grass in front of the elementary school.
The deceased was a truck driver who typically left for work around the time that the shooting took place, according to a family member, who declined to be identified.
The next street over from the scene, on Buckingham Avenue, a sign on a light post instructs drivers to “drive slow, children at play.” Residents there relayed the same account: the sound of gunfire cutting through the nighttime stillness, and nothing else.
Virginia State Police is investigating the officer shooting at the request of interim Police Chief Michael Goldsmith, said state police spokesperson Sgt. Michelle Anaya.
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(Reporter Lauren Girgis contributed to this report.)
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