CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. - Richmond Deputy Kurtshel Stroman just needed some baby wipes at Walmart in Chesterfield County Sunday evening. However, her shopping trip to the Walmart at Iron Bridge Plaza quickly turned into one like no other.
With her mother and two children in the car, the Richmond City Jail employee made her way into the Walmart and noticed a man sitting on a bench, yelling at himself.
“That’s when I went in the store, came back up to make my purchase and I was just like something is going on,” said Stroman. “You could see them screaming, hollering.”
Stroman said the close she got, the more see could see what was going on.
Kurtshel Stroman
Stroman saw a man, later identified as Ricky Ramos, assaulting the women in the entrance way to the store.
“I see blood, managers trying to calm these individuals down,” she said.
Stroman immediately tried to help and attempted to restrain the suspect outside.
“Once he swung on the managers, I said lets go stop and he swung at me,” she said, “From there I knew it was time to take him down, I didn’t think of anything else.”
Once he was detained Stroman found a loaded gun on Ramos, which could have made the situation much worse.
“When you’re in this profession, the light switch always comes on,” she said, “you think about your safety, you think about everyone else’s safety.”
Ramos was eventually taken into custody by Chesterfield Police.
After hearing about what she did, Richmond Sheriff CT Woody honored Stroman with a Meritorious Duty Award, and promoted her to Corporal.
Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody and Deputy Kurtshel Stroman
“She’s only been here for a year and a half and I’m so proud,” said Sheriff Woody.
While Cpl. Stroman is staying humble, she believes she was at that Walmart that night for a reason.
“I was spared, everybody’s life that night was spared,” she said. “Because it could have been a whole lot worse.”
Ramos was later charged with two counts of assault and battery, two counts of assault and battery as hate crime, and a misdemeanor count of carrying a firearm while under the influence.
