On Saturday, shortly before 2 a.m., a crowd of at least 50 people left Stefano’s on the Market. An off duty Roanoke police sergeant noticed several of the people fighting and he asked for backup. A police captain, a lieutenant, two other sergeants and three officers responded. While trying to disperse the crowd, officers noticed a man with a handgun. The officers drew their weapons and told the man to drop his gun. The suspect then turned toward the officers with the gun in his hand and a sergeant fired one shot. The suspect was not hit by the shot but did drop his weapon. The suspect, 26-year-old Malik Seanking Roman, was taken into custody. He’s charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sergeant who fired the shot has been placed on administrative leave pending a criminal and administrative investigation.
