Crime and Public Safety
Update 11/28 According to statements made to investigators, the male had forced his way into the home after the female opened the door and attempted to attack her armed with a knife.
Investigators report a male acquaintance in the home saw the attack, retrieved a handgun— and shot the male assailant several times. WDBJ-7 reports the assailant has now been identified as Daniel Wayne Eades, 40, of Gretna, VA. Eades succumbed to his wounds at the scene. Eades’ body was transported to the Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.
(update from Roanoke County police) Roanoke County Police Officer-Involved Shooting Saturday, November 27, 2021 — At approximately 7:00 p.m. Friday, November 26, officers responded in the 4900 block of Lantern Street (North Lakes area) in reference to a domestic dispute with weapon. While on-scene, officers set up a perimeter and made multiple attempts to communicate with a male subject inside the residence. He was non-compliant.
At one point, the male unexpectedly exited the residence, engaged with an officer and two shots were fired. The male was fatally wounded. He is identified as Shawn Alan Smith, 52, of Roanoke County. The officer was not injured. Per department policy, the officer was placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. This incident remains under investigation and no additional information is available at this time.
(earlier from Roanoke County Friday night) Roanoke County Police are on scene in the 4900 block of Lantern Street (North Lakes area) for an officer-involved shooting. The call came in to the Emergency Communications Center at 7:00 p.m. this evening. This is an active investigation and more information will be released when available.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Nine people who sued white nationalist leaders and organizations over the violence at a deadly rally in Charlottesville in 2017 won a $26 million judgment for the injuries and trauma they endured. But whether they’ll be able to collect a significant chunk of that money remains to be seen. Many of the defendants are in prison, in hiding or have dropped out of the white nationalist movement. At least three of the far-right extremist groups named as defendants have dissolved. And most of the defendants claim they’ll never have the money needed to pay off the judgments against them.
A formal assessment of what’s contributing to the violence in Roanoke is being executed by Elite Business Strategies, the Roanoke Gun Violence Prevention Commission, and newly hired Youth and Gang Violence Prevention Coordinator Chris Roberts. He says there are different surveys for residents, young people, community leaders, and one for people who work directly with students. The surveys are anonymous.
During the Thanksgiving holiday, Virginia State Police will once again take part in Operation C.A.R.E. – Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort – increasing its visibility and traffic enforcement efforts during the five-day period that begins at midnight and ends at midnight on Sunday. The 2020 Thanksgiving Operation C.A.R.E. resulted in troopers citing almost 5000 speeders and 1706 reckless drivers statewide.
(Release from VSP) RICHMOND – For many Virginians, Thanksgiving is time to gather with friends and family, commiserate over the trials and tribulations of the previous year and to be truly thankful for blessings around us. These wonderful family moments often start with loading up the car and heading down the road. AAA predicts that 1.4 million Virginians will be traveling for the holiday, which is 11% more motorists than in 2020. With many of those travelers taking to the roadways, patience might be the most important thing to pack.
“With traffic on the roads increasing and many people anxious to get to their destination, I encourage all
Virginians to be patient. Buckle up and take your time,” said Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “Your family wants you to arrive safely and in a frame of mind to enjoy all the holiday has to offer. Making sure you are driving the posted speed limit, driving for conditions and wearing your seatbelt are the best ways to stay safe on the road, so you can enjoy the holiday.”
To further prevent traffic deaths and injuries during the Thanksgiving holiday, the Virginia State Police will once again be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. – Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort.
As part of the state sponsored, national program, state police will be increasing its visibility and traffic enforcement efforts during the five-day statistical counting period that begins at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, and concludes at midnight Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. The 2020 Thanksgiving Operation C.A.R.E. initiative resulted in troopers citing 4,930 speeders and 1,706 reckless drivers statewide. Virginia troopers charged 67 drivers for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or drugs, and cited 498 drivers for failing to buckle up themselves and/or juvenile passengers. There were 12 traffic fatalities during the 2020 five-day Thanksgiving statistical counting period and eight traffic fatalities during the same period in 2019. This year, the Thanksgiving Holiday C.A.R.E. initiative falls within the annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign. This helps to further emphasize the lifesaving value of seat belts for every person in a vehicle
Guilty counts on most felony counts today in the murder of Ahmaud Abery, a black man chased down and then shot dead by three white men in Georgia, who claimed they were trying to make a citizen’s arrest, alleging he may have been stealing from construction sites: guilty on almost every count of malice murder, felony murder, false imprisonment and other related charges. Travis and Greg McMichael and William Bryan face lengthy prison sentences.
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — All three men charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery were convicted of murder Wednesday. The jury reached its decision after more than 10 hours of deliberations following a trial in which prosecutors argued that the defendants provoked a confrontation with Arbery and defense attorneys said their clients were acting in self-defense.
A Roanoke man who was acquitted in a May 2019 murder that took place on Denniston Avenue in Grandin Village has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint out of the Western District of Virginia on federal firearms charges related to the same incident. Demarcus Glenn, 23, was arrested yesterday on multiple firearms charges. During his trial Glenn testified that he was engaged in a drug transaction when the victim brandished a gun. Glenn then pulled a gun from his pocket and killed the victim, who was 16. In a statement today the Western District of Virginia said, “it is a federal crime to use, carry, brandish, or discharge a firearm during a drug transaction.”
From Bedford County Sheriff’s Office: [This morning at approximately 3am] the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office was involved in a pursuit in the Goodview area of Bedford County. The vehicle passed a Deputy in the area of 15818 Stewartsville Road (Wonder Drug) traveling at 90+ MPH. The driver of the vehicle attempted to elude the Deputy but crashed in the curves at Goodview Road and Goodview Town Road. The crash resulted in a rollover, ejecting one female occupant and partially ejecting the driver. Total of five occupants from Pennsylvania were in the vehicle. All five were transported to RMH and fortunately the injuries were not critical. Charges were obtained on the driver, Patrick Leblanc, age 25 of Thompson, Pennsylvania for reckless driving and felony eluding law enforcement.
Two working fires in Roanoke. Officials posted on Facebook that Roanoke Fire-EMS was dispatched after 3 am this morning to a fire in the 400 block of 8th Street SE. That fire is reportedly under control. Roanoke Fire-EMS is also on the scene of a working fire in the 1200 block of 12th Street NW. No further details are available at this time.
(AP) A jury has awarded millions of dollars in damages against white nationalist leaders for violence that erupted during the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. After a nearly monthlong civil trial, a jury in U.S. District Court in deadlocked on two key claims Tuesday but found the white nationalists liable on four other counts. The jury awarded slightly more than $25 million to nine people who suffered physical or emotional injuries during two days of demonstrations. The lawsuit accused some of the country’s most well-known white nationalists of plotting the violence, including Jason Kessler, the rally’s main organizer; Richard Spencer, who coined the term “alt-right”; and Christopher Cantwell, a white supremacist who became known as the “crying Nazi.”