RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The Richmond police chief promised a thorough investigation after a black man was killed in a shootout with a white officer who was wounded in the exchange of gunfire.
Police Chief Alfred Durham faced an angry crowd of about three dozen people, most of them black, at the shooting scene on Wednesday night and urged them to be patient while authorities investigate. The crowd demanded answers and questioned whether police used too much force.
On Wednesday afternoon, officers responded to a report of an armed man in an area west of downtown, police said. Two officers approached the man, who fled. Police chased him, and shots were fired by police and the suspect. Durham could not say who shot first and how many shots were fired.
The wounded officer, a nine-year veteran, was shot in the arm and is expected to fully recover. It’s not clear what race the second officer is. The suspect died at the scene, and police said they recovered a handgun near his body.
Durham told reporters that race didn’t have anything to do with the shooting. Officers across the nation have come under greater scrutiny recently as videos and other evidence has shown blacks being mistreated, injured or killed by white officers.