CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — The family of a Chesapeake man killed by an off-duty Norfolk Police officer wants questions answered surrounding his death.
Chesapeake Police identified the victim as 42-year-old Kelvin White.
White’s family is heartbroken, and they want to know: Could this shooting have been avoided?
They tell 10 On Your Side Kelvin suffered from a mental illness and this scenario is one they feared in the back of their minds.
Maurice White remembered his brother, Kelvin, as someone who didn’t like taking pictures but loved to make others smile.
“My brother was funny. He always joked. He’d make you laugh. Very giving,” White said. “I miss him though, I do. Very much.”
Kelvin died on Sunday after he was shot during a confrontation with an off-duty Norfolk Police officer on Bainbridge Boulevard, according to Chesapeake Police.
The family tells 10 On Your Side Kelvin suffered from schizophrenia.
Chesapeake Police said the off-duty officer got a call from a family member who said a man had threatened her with a weapon.
White said a detective told him his brother allegedly threatened to pull a knife on a woman pushing a stroller.
However, the family said they want to know what happened in the time between the officer showing up and shots being fired.
“I want everything that can give me understanding of my brother’s death,” White said. “There’s things in between that [don’t] make sense.”
Khiera Williams, the mother of Kelvin’s children, said the family is mourning.
“We’re not trying to paint the perfect picture of him,” Williams said. “I just think the situation could’ve been handled differently.”
They also want to know why Chesapeake Police weren’t called when the initial threat was made.
“Why wasn’t the City of Chesapeake involved in this besides a person in another district, had control, that was not actually dressed as an officer? To have control and to handle this the way he wanted,” White said.
The family says Kelvin wasn’t perfect but he was loved. He leaves behind three children in their teens.
“We understand all aspects. We just want answers like anyone else would,” said Williams.
The family is hoping the autopsy result will bring more answers.
Norfolk Police say their officer has been put on administrative duty pending an investigation.