CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Body camera footage of an officer with the Chesterfield County Police Department fatally shooting 34-year-old Charles Byers in July 2023 has been made available through the court system.
Reporters with local news outlets, including 8News, previously viewed this body camera footage in mid-April, but the department would not provide a copy of it.
An ongoing lawsuit filed by Byers’ family resulted in about a minute and a half of body camera footage being made available on Monday, June 24, despite efforts to keep it confidential. A link to the footage was accessible on the federal courts’ website.
On July 8, 2023, Byers encountered two Chesterfield officers in the 900 block of Marblethorpe Road. Byers, who had schizoaffective disorder, was reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of his encounter with police. He had just been released from the HCA Chippenham Hospital in Richmond in relation to that crisis.
Prior to this interaction, Byers had walked 14 miles alone, barefoot, from the Richmond City Justice Center to Chesterfield — a trip that had taken him 36 hours, which he’d spent wandering, searching for his home. He was at the justice center because, as his family’s lawsuit alleges, he was wrongfully taken there under a temporary detention order.
Officers responded to Marblethorpe Road after receiving reports from neighbors that Byers had tried to break into their homes. When they arrived, Byers had a hatchet in his hand, held at his side, that he reportedly got from a neighbor’s garage.
Byers’ interaction with police lasted about 90 seconds. In that time, officers issued 13 commands for Byers to drop the hatchet as he walked along the road, eventually beginning to walk backward towards an intersection, away from the officers. One of the officers fired a stun gun at him and it was ineffective.
Two more commands were issued, with Byers continuing to walk away without dropping the hatchet, before the other officer shot at Byers seven times. Five of those shots hit Byers. He can be seen running away as he is shot before he collapses on the road.
The body camera footage below has been censored by 8News but should still be viewed with caution. The following video shows graphic violence and the death of a person. Viewer discretion is advised.
In early April, the Chesterfield County Police Department released the results of its investigation into Byers’ death. This investigation found that the officers involved were justified in their use of force. However, there is disagreement over what that report states compared to what is visible in the body camera footage.
