RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham and Richmond City Council president Michelle Mosby spoke out Wednesday after a Richmond Police officer shot and injured a suspect outside a motel along Midlothian Turnpike. Both city leaders agreed the Midlothian corridor, near the Richmond-Chesterfield County line, was a hot spot for violent crime.
"We are going to document and document [the crimes], and maybe shut some stuff down," Mosby said. She said she has discussed options with the mayor and the Richmond City Planning Commission and that in talks with Chief Durham, police have promised to hit the area hard with enforcement.
Her main concern was the safety of the children who live and play in the area. She said getting compliance from the community would be a giant step towards making the area safer.
"The majority of things that have happened, have happened with African-Americans and you can't survive killing each other," she said. "We can't be our brother’s keeper and kill the brother. At some point it has to turn around."
Over the past 11 months, there have been nearly 50 serious calls for service, including numerous robberies and even a murder at the Richmond Inn and Suites. That is where Wednesday's police shooting took place.
Facebook video shows suspect wounded after Richmond Police shooting
In a Facebook video posted less than an hour after Wednesday morning's police shooting, Richmond Police are seen dressing a suspect’s gunshot wound when an officer is heard asking a question and the suspect shouts an answer:
"He didn't point a gun at us?” “Hell, no! I didn't point the gun. Did you see it?”
A Richmond Police spokesman said the Richmond Police Department was aware of the video and called it an "element in the investigation."
A friend of the suspect told a group of reporters, "I saw no gun at all." The man, who asked to be identified only as “David A” said he knew his friend had a gun, but doubted he pointed the weapon at officers.
Surveillance video from the Richmond Inn and Suites showed the man being chased by police, and the suspect appears to have a gun in his hand. Police confirmed they recovered a weapon.
"The individual fell down, then reached in his waistband and pointed the gun at our officers," Chief Durham said. "They shot the suspect in his abdomen."
Police were attempting to question the man who they saw involved in a “hand-to-hand exchange” near the motel.
The officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave. WTVR CBS 6 has chosen not to use the suspect’s name until it is released by police. A criminal history check on the suspect turned up arrests sheet in Ford in Dinwiddie County.
