‘He mattered’: Family of suspect shot and killed in officer-involved shooting says he was suffering from depression and anxiety
VENN
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The family of a South Chesterfield man shot and killed at the hands of police says he struggled with mental health issues for years, including weeks leading up to his death.
On Thursday, April 24, Chesterfield Police officers arrived at the 13600 block of Genito Road, where they found Ronald Estes III, 23, of South Chesterfield, who matched the description of a wanted suspect on whom they had received a report an hour earlier.
Police said they received a call of a shooting at a residence on Birnam Woods Drive in Brandermill. The complainant, according to police, said Estes had fired a handgun during a dispute and left the area. The complainant also reported their vehicle had been damaged, but no one was injured in the shooting.
When officers found Estes at the gas station, they said Estes pulled out a firearm and fired a shot, which prompted three officers to fire at him.
Estes was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Depression and anxiety— Ronnie's been struggling with that for years, since [his] teenage years," said Dorothy 'Sissy' Dreher of South Chesterfield, Estes' aunt.
8News spoke with Dreher at a vigil held in memory of Estes.
Dreher said Estes went by Lil Ronnie and was dealt an unfortunate hand as a child with both parents drinking heavily, and eventually separating in his teenage years.
"Mom and dad separated in 2016, and when mom and dad separated in 2016... mom kind of walked away," Dreher said. "And, you know, again, I had custody of him, took care of him. And then in... February 1st of 2018, his dad got ran over by a car on Jeff Davis Highway." [sailthru_widget name="Sailthru Widget Block" sailthru_list="Breaking News" title="8News Breaking News Alerts"]
Dreher explained to 8News over the past few weeks things took a turn for the worst with a ripple effect of bad occurrences.
According to Dreher, a woman Estes was involved with robbed him of more than $900. Estes then became homeless after losing his job at a roofing company.
"He's just been homeless, just been trying to pretty much find anywhere to lay his head, to stand with friends and things of that nature," she said. "The Sunday before Easter, apparently, he held a box cutter to his neck and threatened to slice through because he didn't want to be here anymore. Some random lady by the grace of God, saved him that night and took him to South Side Memorial Regional, where he was admitted."
Dreher says she and her family have tried multiple times to assist Estes in his mental health recovery, but were met with no resolve from both health institutions and Estes.
"He's just going to be loved and missed," Dreher said. "He was loved and he mattered."
8News reached out to police and asked whether Estes fired his gun at officers or in another direction, and was told that information has not yet been confirmed, as the investigation into this incident is ongoing.
This is a developing story. Stick with 8News for updates.
