Crime and Public Safety
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Latest on the fatal police shooting of a naked and unarmed man in Richmond (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
More than 200 people have turned out for a community meeting to protest the death of a young, black man who was fatally shot by a Virginia police officer after he ran naked onto an interstate highway.
Speakers at the meeting at Richmond’s Second Baptist Church said they were angry that police used deadly force on Marcus-David Peters, who was unarmed and appeared to be mentally unstable in the May 14 episode.
Police body-camera video made public Friday shows Peters emerge naked from a car and dash onto Interstate 95, then flail erratically before running toward the officer while shouting threats. The officer deploys a stun gun before shooting Peters twice with his service weapon.
Peters’ family plans to lead a march next Saturday from Virginia Commonwealth University to police headquarters.
Police Chief Alfred Durham has asked the community for patience while an investigation continues.
___
12:30 a.m.
The family of a young, black Virginia man who was fatally shot by police while naked and unarmed said the release of body-camera footage answered some of their questions about what happened but raised even more.
The video made public Friday shows Marcus-David Peters emerge naked from a car and dash onto Interstate 95 in Richmond, where he flails erratically before running toward the officer while shouting threats. The officer deploys a stun gun before shooting Peters twice.
Peters’ sister, Princess Blanding, said her brother was clearly distressed and in need of help. She asked why the officer engaged with her brother after he noted that Peters seemed “mentally unstable.”
Peters’ shooting took place along a busy stretch of Interstate 95. It remains under investigation.
Rudolph Vollbreacht
Ernastine Vollbreacht
UPDATE: The Virginia Senior Alert for the missing Henry County couple has been cancelled. They have been safely located. For additional detail, please contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.
PREVIOUSLY: The Virginia State Police has issued a senior alert on behalf of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is looking for two missing seniors Ernastine Vollbreacht, race W sex F, age 84 years old, height 5’0”, weight 124 lbs, with green eyes and gray hair. She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a blue floral button up shirt. Also missing is her husband, Rudolph Vollbreacht, race W, sex M, age 87 years old, height 5’9”, weight 240 lbs, with blue eyes and white hair.
Both suffer from cognitive disorders and are believed to be in danger and were last seen on 20180525 at 0646 hours, at 350 Kings Way Road, Martinsville, Virginia.
Additional information: both are traveling in a red 2007 Dodge Caravan, Virginia tag VBD-4197.
Rudolph Vollbreacht:
Age: 87
Sex: M
Race: W
Hair: WHITE
Eyes: BLUE
Height: 5’9″
Weight: lb. 240
Ernastine Vollbreacht
Age: 84
Sex: F
Race: W
Hair: GRAY
Eyes: GREEN
Height: 5’0″
Weight: lb. 124
Please contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-656-4215.
Salem Police are looking for two suspects who robbed the Trader Jerry’s store on 4th Street early this morning. Officers responding to an alarm call around 3am found the front door glass shattered. Surveillance videos show two men breaking in, grabbing various firearms and then fleeing on foot. Please call the Salem Police detectives division with any information at 375-3083.
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A male student opened fire at a suburban Indianapolis middle school Friday morning, wounding another student and a teacher before being taken into custody, authorities said. The attack at Noblesville West Middle School happened around 9 a.m., police Chief Kevin Jowitt said at a news conference. He said investigators believe the suspect acted alone, though he didn’t release the boy’s name or the names of the victims, who were taken to hospitals in Indianapolis. Indiana University Health spokeswoman Danielle Sirilla said the teacher was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital and the wounded student was taken to Riley Hospital for Children. She didn’t know the seriousness of their injuries.
After the attack, students were bused to the Noblesville High School gym, where their families could retrieve them. Erica Higgins, who was among the worried parents who rushed to get their kids, told WTHR-TV that she learned of the shooting from a relative who called her at home. “I just want to get my arms around my boy,” she said. Higgins said her son was shaken up but knew little about what happened. “I got a ‘Mom, I’m scared’ text message and other than that, it was ‘come get me at the high school,’” Higgins said.
Gov. Eric Holcomb, who was returning from a trip to Europe on Friday, issued a statement saying he and other state leaders were getting updates about the situation and that 100 state police officers had been made available to work with local law enforcement. “Our thoughts are with all those affected by this horrible situation,” Holcomb said.
Noblesville, which is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis, is home to about 50,000 people. The middle school has about 1,300 students from grades 6-8. The school’s academic year was scheduled to end next Friday.
Two people are under arrest – and a third is being sought – for the weekend murder of a woman in southwest Roanoke County. Police identify the victim as 35-year-old Amber Ross of Franklin County. Officials say a man brought her to the Lewis-Gale Emergency Center near Tanglewood Mall with a gunshot wound, then took off. Police soon determined the shooting occurred at a home on Overland Drive, off Starkey Road. 27-year-old Aaron Witcher of Roanoke is in custody facing murder charges, and a 17-year-old is charged with related counts. County Police say they are looking for Shamby Walker, a woman believed to be in her mid 30’s.
From Roanoke County Police: On Saturday, May 19, before 11:00 p.m., a deceased female with a gunshot wound was brought in to the LewisGale Medical Center ER on the corner of Ogden and Electric Roads by a male who then fled. A witness obtained a tag number from the male’s car which led police to the area of Overland Drive in Roanoke County. Over the next several hours, multiple building searches and search warrants were conducted in the 5000 block of Overland Drive in connection with the crime. As a result of these searches, the scene of the homicide was located at a house in the 5200 block of Overland Drive, and additional evidence was collected from this scene. Police were able to develop several suspects after positive identification of the victim was made by the medical examiner on Monday, May 21. The victim was Amber C. Ross, 35, of Franklin County.
Through numerous interviews and witness statements in the course of this investigation, it appears that a robbery was set up at the residence in the 5200 Block of Overland Drive. During the course of the robbery a physical altercation occurred between a resident and a suspect who had brandished a firearm. Ross, who was present in the house, received a fatal gunshot wound when the firearm was discharged. Three suspects fled the scene. A male resident of the house took Ross to the LewisGale ER and then fled.
Additional search warrants and interviews were conducted that led officers to an address in the 700 block of McDowell Avenue, NW in the City of Roanoke. Two suspects were taken into custody at this location on Tuesday, May 22 without incident. One suspect is identified as Aaron Witcher, 27, of Roanoke, and another is a 17‐year old male juvenile, also of Roanoke. A third suspect, identified as Shamby Walker, is still at large and the public is asked to contact the Roanoke County Police Department with any information regarding her whereabouts. Walker is described to be a white female with brown hair and blue eyes, mid‐30s, approximately 5’10”, and 280 lbs.
10:40 am: Roanoke County Police report a tractor-trailer accident is creating backups on US 11/460 west of Salem near Dixie Caverns. Police say the accident is blocking several lanes of traffic at Dow Hollow Road, which connects 11/460 with I-81 at the Dixie Caverns exit.
From Roanoke County Police: There is currently a traffic crash on West Main St at the intersection of Dow Hollow Rd in Roanoke County involving a tractor-trailer. Several lanes of traffic are blocked, and motorists are asked to avoid the area for at least the next hour.
Virginia senators are putting off debate on the state budget and whether to expand Medicaid. WFIR’s Lillian Boyd has more on where lawmakers stand.
From Roanoke City Police: On Tuesday, May 22, right after 12 p.m, a Roanoke Police Officer was flagged down by a vehicle on Melrose Avenue at Peters Creek Road NW. The occupants, an adult male and female, advised the officer that their two-year-old son had accidentally shot himself in their residence. The officer called for medical support at that time, and Roanoke Fire-EMS responded to the scene and transported the child to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Additional officers responded to and secured the couple’s apartment in the 3400 block of Bennett Dr.The child was pronounced deceased at 12:49 p.m. This investigation is ongoing, and Detectives and Forensic Investigators are working to determine the actions leading up to the shooting. No charges have been placed at this time.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – A third man has been found guilty in the beating of a black man who was left severely injured the day of a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
News outlets report that 19-year-old Daniel Borden of Ohio entered an Alford plea Monday to a charge of malicious wounding in the attack on DeAndre Harris.
The plea means Borden did not admit guilt but acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him.
The attack on Harris in a parking garage Aug. 12 by a group of men was captured in photos and videos widely shared online.
Borden’s plea follows the conviction of two other men. A fourth man is awaiting trial.
From Roanoke County Fire & Rescue – UPDATE: Fire investigators have determined the house fire on Puckett Circle was accidental in nature; however the specific cause is considered undetermined. Damage estimates are $160,000.
PREVIOUS: Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded at about 3:10 a.m., on Monday, May 21, 2018 to the 2600 block of Puckett Circle in the Fort Lewis area of Roanoke County for the report of a residential structure fire. First arriving crews did find flames showing from the back corner window of a split-level, vinyl sided house. Two adults and one juvenile were in the house at the time of the fire but all of them made it out safely. The fire was contained to the bedroom, however, there is smoke and water damage to the rest of the house. The family has been displaced by the fire and will be staying with family in the area. One dog was safe outside the home and one cat was rescued from inside the home. There were smoke alarms present in the house but the homeowners are unsure if they were working. There were no injuries. Crews from Fort Lewis, Masons Cove, Cave Spring, and Salem responded to the fire. The fire was marked under control in about 30 minutes. The fire marshal’s office is on scene to investigate a cause.
Roanoke County Fire and Rescue would like to remind everyone to please test your smoke alarms monthly. Also, have a fire escape plan and practice that plan.