Crime and Public Safety
On October 13, 2022 at approximately 8:16 a.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a single vehicle accident at the intersection of Williamson Rd NW and Airport Rd NW. Unfortunately both the driver and passenger of the vehicle were pronounced deceased on scene. This is still an active investigation and details of what led to the crash are limited at this time.
General Jason Miyares says gun buyback programs like “Groceries Not Guns” in Roanoke are not effective ways to reduce gun-related violence. Supporters of the buybacks say they save lives and keep firearms off the black market if left unsecured or stolen, but speaking today in Roanoke, Miyares says the data in cities holding such events does not suggest they are reducing gun crime numbers. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
UPDATE: Roanoke City emergency crews say one person and a dog have died as the result of a house fire this morning in the 4 hundred block of Albemarle Avenue Sw near Highland Park Elementary School. Authorities say two firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries.Two victims were rescued from the home.
Previous: Roanoke City emergency crews responded to a house fire this morning in the 4 hundred block of Albemarle Avenue Sw near Highland Park Elementary School. One person has died as the result of the blaze. One person has been taken to the hospital for treatment for injuries, and another person got out with no reported injuries .Investigators say a firefighter sustained non-life-threatening injuries. We have now learned that a dog also died.
NEWS RELEASE: On October 10, 2022 at 2:45PM, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of H&H Market in Big Island, Virginia for an individual with a gunshot wound to the head. Danelle Brown, age 37 of Monroe, Virginia was identified as the suspect and has been arrested on charges of Aggravated Malicious Wounding and Possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. She is currently being held at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail under no bond. The victim was flown to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injury. The case remains under investigation and there are no further details at this time. The Sheriff’s Office requests that anyone with additional information to contact Investigator Hinton at 540-586-4800, dispatch at 540-586-7827 or Central Virginia Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900 or enter your tip online at http://p3tips.com or use the P3TIPS app on your mobile device. Crime Stopper callers remain anonymous and could receive a cash reward up to $1,000.00.
(from Bedford County Sheriff’s office) On October 7, Deputies with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office responded to Vistarama Lane in Bedford County in reference to a possible stabbing. Upon arrival, they identified there were multiple victims. The suspect was identified as Andrew Karnes, age 32 of Bedford (pictured), who is related to the three victims. Karnes was still on-scene and immediately taken into custody. All three victims were transported by EMS to Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital. One of the victims was later airlifted from Centra Bedford Memorial to Centra Lynchburg General Hospital in critical condition. Karnes has been charged with three counts of Malicious Wounding and is being held without bond in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail. We believe this was an isolated incident and there is no further threat to the public.
(from Roanoke PD) On October 10 [this morning] at approximately 9:30 a.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 1600 block of Grayson Avenue NW. Responding officers located an adult male with what appeared to be a non-life threatening gunshot wound. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment. Preliminary investigation indicates the shooting did not occur at the Grayson Ave NW address. A scene has not been established at this time. No suspects have been located and no arrests have been made at this time.
From Roanoke City Police: On October 8, 2022 at approximately 11:10 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of shots fired in the 2300 block of Mountain View Terrace SW. Officers responded to the scene and located an adult male subject outside of a residence. The male subject was armed with a firearm and pointed it towards an officer. One Roanoke Police Officer fired their service weapon, striking the male subject. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment. No Roanoke Police Officers were injured during this incident.
In accordance with department policy, Virginia State Police were notified and will be investigating this incident. The officer involved will be placed on administrative leave per department policy. Virginia State Police will be releasing further updates.
Kent Carter, vice president of the NAACP’s Arlington, Virginia, branch, was shot and killed Sunday, October 2nd, while vacationing in Turks & Caicos to celebrate his 40th birthday, according to statements from the NAACP and the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.
Two people were murdered in a targeted attack on their vehicle, which contained tourists and staff from a local business, the police said. The vehicle was taking the tourists back to their hotels after an excursion, according to the statement from Chief of Police Trevor Botting.
It’s not clear how many shooters were involved, but Botting said the shots were fired from another vehicle.
Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded at 8:36 a.m. on Monday, October 3, 2022 to the 5700 block of Enchanted Lane, in the Clearbrook area, for the report of a residential structure fire. Upon arrival units from Station 7 (Clearbrook) found a one story brick home with smoke and fire showing from the roof of the structure. No one was home at the time of the fire. A family of 7 occupied the structure but were all gone at the time of the fire. There were no injuries. The fire was brought under control in about 40 minutes. Due to the lack of hydrants in the area, a tanker shuttle was utilized to bring sufficient water to fight the fire. The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office is on scene to investigate. The house is a total loss.
One person was taken to the hospital after being hit near the 16000 block of Snow Creek Road in Penhook Sunday morning. According to the Franklin Co. Sheriff’s Office, a call reporting a possible hit-and-run came in at around 6:50 a.m. The driver was located shortly after but was not in custody as of this afternoon, according to WDBJ-7.