Brandermill residents speak out after suspect killed in officer-involved shooting in Chesterfield
VENN
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A suspect is dead after an officer-involved shooting that officials said began with a reported disturbance in the Brandermill neighborhood in Chesterfield County early Thursday morning.
Chesterfield Police officers responded to the 14000 block of Birnam Woods Drive at around 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 24 after a caller reported that a man had fired at their car. When police arrived at the scene, the suspect had already fled.
About an hour later, a man matching the suspect's description was found at a BP gas station on Genito Road, roughly five minutes from where the initial disturbance occurred.
(Photo: Allison Williams, 8News)
(Photo: Allison Williams, 8News)
(Photo: Allison Williams, 8News)
When officers approached the suspect, police said the man fired a single shot at them. In response, three officers returned fire, killing him at the scene.
Residents in the quiet suburban neighborhood said they were startled by the sound of gunfire.
“I heard [a] 'bang, bang' and I said, ‘Oh, someone’s playing with guns,’” said one neighbor, who asked not to be identified.
Another resident told 8News she initially second-guessed what she had heard.
“I thought it sounded like gunshots but then I thought I was being irrational or it wasn’t possible,” she said.
Both neighbors noted that the home involved has had prior disturbances and said the shooting has left them shaken.
“You always kinda think, ‘That’s not in my backyard,’ but this time it was—literally two houses over. I'm sad how it ended for that person, no matter what happened. I feel badly for the officer, because no matter what training you have, it's still traumatic,” said one neighbor.
Chesterfield Police confirmed there is no ongoing threat to the community. All three officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure during investigations of this nature.
The investigation into both the initial disturbance and the shooting remains active. The identity of the suspect will not be released until the next of kin is notified.
