Crime and Public Safety

BEDFORD CO, Va. – Virginia State Police is investigating a single vehicle crash, which resulted in a fatality.  The crash occurred Thursday, (Aug 18) at 3:24 p.m. on Route 122, near just north of Campers Paradise Trail in Bedford County.

A 2010 Ford Escape was traveling south on Route 122, when the vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway, struck an embankment and overturned. The driver of the Ford was identified as Nathanael Elisha Lutz, 26, of Waco, TX.  Mr. Lutz was wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene

UPDATED: The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office has concluded their investigation and found the fire on Pine Street to be accidental and the cause was electrical in nature. The occupants were not displaced but are still being assisted by the American Red Cross. Damages are estimated at $20,000.

No one was injured after a fire early this morning in the 100 block of Pine Street in the town of Vinton. Roanoke County Fire and Rescue say crews responded around 4:30 am where they brought the fire under control in about 15 minutes. Three adults are displaced after damage to the apartment.

From Roanoke County Fire and Rescue — (Roanoke County, VA—August 18, 2022) Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 18, 2022 to the 100 block of Pine Street, in the Town of Vinton, for the report of a commercial structure fire in an apartment building. First arriving crews from Station 2 (Vinton) found smoke showing from the second-floor window of a two-story apartment building and marked it a working fire. The apartment was occupied by three adults at the time of the fire. The fire was brought under control in about 15 minutes. No other apartments were damaged. The adult
occupants are all safe and there were no injuries. The occupants of the apartment where the fire occurred will be displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross. We appreciate the assistance of Roanoke Fire and EMS on this call. The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office is on scene to investigate a cause and provide a damage estimate.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — A funeral service was scheduled for Monday for a Virginia university student whom police said was shot to death earlier this month. Zhykierra Zhane Guy, 22, of Henrico County was found in the passenger seat of a car that had been struck by gunfire in the early-morning hours of Aug. 5, according to Henrico police. Guy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police were investigating Guy’s death as a homicide, according to the College of William & Mary, where she attended, media outlets reported. Guy was a government major at William & Mary who planned to graduate next May. She had started her own retail hair extension business and danced while at the school, Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler said in a statement released Friday. The funeral will be held at a Halifax County church.

MGN

(From VA State Police) At the request of the City of Roanoke Police Department, the Virginia State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating an officer involved shooting in the City of Roanoke. The incident began at 11:02 p.m. on Thursday evening when the City of Roanoke Police Department responded to a shots fired call in the 100 block of Elm Ave.  As police arrived, a second round of gunshots were fired from inside the apartment.  Police returned fire, which led to a four hour stand-off.

Police evacuated the surrounding apartments in the building.  Approximately 3:30 a.m., the suspect exited the apartment and was taken into custody without further incident. Damoan S. Townes, 31, of Roanoke, Va. was charged with two counts of 18.2-279 Discharging a firearm within a building with malicious intent.   There were no injuries in the exchange of gunfire. The City of Roanoke Police Department has placed the officers involved on administrative leave per their policy, until the investigation is completed. During the search of the apartment, the Virginia State Police recovered the firearm which is believed to have been used in the shooting.

Roanoke Police found a man lying in a front yard with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Police were notified just after 7:00p yesterday evening of a person who had been shot in the 800 block of Marshall Avenue Southwest. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment. No one has been arrested.

From Roanoke City Police Department: On August 10, 2022 at approximately 7:17 PM, Roanoke Police were notified by City of Roanoke E-911 Center personnel of a person with a gunshot wound in the 800 block of Marshall Avenue SW. Responding officer located an adult male lying in the front yard of a residence with what appeared to be non-life threatening gunshot wounds. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial hosptial for treatment.

Details about what led to the shooting are limited at this time. No suspects were located on scene and no arrests have been made regarding this incident. This remains an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call (540)344-8500 and share what you know. You can also text us at 274637; please begin the text with “RoanokePD” to ensure it’s properly sent. Both calls and texts can remain anonymous.

ALLEGHANY COUNTY, Va. – Virginia State Police is investigating a single vehicle crash, which resulted in a fatality.  The crash occurred Wednesday (Aug 10) at 9:45 a.m. on Route 629, near Whispering Circle in Alleghany County. A Chevrolet pickup was traveling north on Route 629, when the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Ricky Lee Poore, 41, of Roanoke, Va.  Mr. Poore was not wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene.

On August 9 at approximately 9:15 a.m., the City of Roanoke E-911 Center notified Roanoke Police of a possible bank robbery that had occurred in the 2800 block of Brambleton Avenue SW (Hometrust Bank). Responding Officers determined the suspect was no longer on scene, and immediately set up a perimeter in the area to look for the suspect. Evidence indicated the male suspect entered the business, displayed a weapon, physically assaulted an employee of the business, then took an undisclosed amount of U.S. Currency and fled the scene on foot. All available personnel continued searching for the suspect. After following numerous leads, they were ultimately able to locate the suspect, identified as Brian N. Brown, 39 of Roanoke. Brown was taken into custody without incident and charged with robbery.

On Sunday, August 7 at 3:34 a.m., Roanoke Fire-EMS was dispatched for reports of a motor vehicle accident and structure fire on the 3700 block of Peters Creek Rd. First arriving units found a commercial building fully involved with heavy smoke and flames. Due to the size of the fire, only a defensive fire attack was performed. The occupants of the vehicle were transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

There were no other injuries reported from the incident. The fire was determined to be accidental, caused by the motor vehicle crashing into the building. The estimated cost of damages to the building and its contents are approximately $350,000.