PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia State Police are investigating after a police officer shot a man on Greenwood Drive in Portsmouth on Sunday morning.
Portsmouth police say they responded to an incident on Sunday around 11:25 a.m. near the 2300 block of Greenwood Drive. When officers arrived on the scene, they say a man was brandishing a sharp object at one of them.
During the encounter, an officer shot the man. He was taken to a local hospital with a “serious” gunshot wound.
Virginia State Police have opened an investigation into the shooting.
Portsmouth NAACP Chapter President James Boyd provided this statement to WAVY, requesting to see the police department’s body camera footage of the shooting incident.
“We are aware of the officer involved shooting that happened [Sunday] earlier today. We are examining it very closely, however, based upon videos that we have seen so far, we have questions. The Use of Force Continuum, based upon standards set by the U.S 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, outlines steps of escalation and de-escalation in which officers are trained to specifically follow in situations where there is a “Reasonable Imminent Threat”. The preservation of life is paramount and before an officer uses deadly force, justification of that action must be clear and without doubt as the only option possible to minimize an imminent threat to themselves and or others. Though the matter has been referred to the Virginia State Police, the family and the Citizens of Portsmouth deserve transparency and a full accounting of the circumstances.”
Portsmouth NAACP Chapter President
