CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — An off-duty Norfolk Police officer has been charged in connection with a deadly shooting in Chesapeake that happened back in January.
An investigation was launched after the deadly afternoon shooting in the 2600 block of Bainbridge Boulevard in Chesapeake on Jan. 19.
Chesapeake Police announced on Thursday, Aug. 27 that at the direction of the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, 34-year-old Edmund Hoyt had been charged in the death of 42-year-old Kelvin White.
Officials said Hoyt turned himself in at the Chesapeake City Jail, where he was served with a warrant for voluntary manslaughter. He is being held without bond.
Hoyt was arraigned Friday morning and is scheduled to have an attorney review hearing in Chesapeake General District Court Monday.
Hoyt was off-duty and not in uniform when he went to the address on Bainbridge Boulevard on Jan. 19, according to police. He went there after receiving a call from a family member that a man had just threatened them with a weapon, police say.
Chesapeake Police received calls for an armed person in the 2600 block of Bainbridge Blvd. at 2:24 p.m.
Investigators say Hoyt confronted the man, identified as White, and they got into a physical confrontation.
A search warrant obtained by WAVY News 10 states that White produced a knife during the confrontation before he was shot.
White was immediately transported to a local hospital, but died from his injuries.
“This person was loved,” said Maurice White, Kelvin’s brother. “We miss him very much.”
White’s family said the charges bring them one step closer to getting justice for White.
“You’re an officer. You have laws. You have certain things that you should live by as an officer — even off duty,” said Maurice.
During an interview with family members in January, they told 10 On Your Side that White suffered from schizophrenia.
The search warrant also confirms that White was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the shooting. Police said he was being treated for his mental health at Chesapeake Integrated Behavioral Healthcare.
Maurice said there’s conflicting information about what led up to shots being fired. They’re ready for the case to go to court.
“My family, and myself, is welcoming that and just getting the truth of what happened that day. My brother knows the truth, he’s no longer here. That officer knows the truth. He’s here,” Maurice said.
Norfolk Police Sgt. William Pickering confirmed that Hoyt is still employed by the Norfolk Police Department as of Thursday, but that he has been on administrative duty since the shooting. Hoyt joined the NPD in 2018.
“It just doesn’t seem right that he’s been employed all this time, knowing what he did,” said Opal White, the victim’s cousin.
If convicted, Hoyt could face one to 10 years in prison.
