RICHMOND, Va. — The man shot and injured by Richmond Police now faces three charges in connection with Wednesday’s incident. Roderick Darrell Hardy, 29, was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer and possession of a weapon by a violent felon, both crimes are considered felonies. He was also charged with misdemeanor brandishing a firearm, according to online court records.
Click here to watch Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham provide an update on the case.
Roderick Hardy (PHOTO: Virginia Sex Offender Registry)
Hardy, who appears on the Virginia Sex Offender registry, was convicted in 2005 of having carnal knowledge of a child between 13 – 15 years old. Hardy would have been around 19 at the time of the conviction. He was twice convicted of failing to register as a sex offender, but most recently re-registered as a sex offender on March 2.
Hardy was shot in the abdomen when he pointed a weapon in the direction of pursuing officers, Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham explained an hour after Wednesday’s shooting. He said police wanted to question Hardy after they saw him involved in a “hand-to-hand exchange” near the Richmond Inn & Suites on Midlothian Turnpike. The chief said the motel is a haven for drug crime and prostitution.
“We had officers patrolling the area. They were conducting an investigation, an individual took off from them running. That individual fell down. At which time, while regaining his footing, he reached into his waistband and pointed a weapon toward the direction of our officers,” the chief said.
The police officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation conducted by Richmond Police and the Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. Richmond City Council President Michelle Mosby said she was working with Chief Durham and the City Planning Commission to clean up the Midlothian corridor near the Richmond-Chesterfield County line.
"We are going to document and document [the crimes], and maybe shut some stuff down,” Mosby said. "The majority of things that have happened, have happened with African-Americans and you can’t survive killing each other. 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 & Suites.
In a Facebook video posted less than an hour after Wednesday morning’s police shooting, Richmond Police are seen dressing Hardy’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 & 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.
Online court records indicate Hardy is now in custody at the Richmond City jail.
This is a developing story.
