CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Police officers shot and killed a man who fired at them following an 11-hour standoff inside a Chesterfield home, according to Chesterfield Police.
No officers were injured, police added.
Police were initially called to the Lansmill Drive home, off Route 1 in southern Chesterfield, on Wednesday afternoon to serve warrants to a man, later identified as 36-year-old Jeffrey D. Kite, who violated a protective order, according to a Chesterfield Police spokesperson.
"The [Kite] refused to come out of the home; an adult female was also in the residence. Police obtained a search warrant for the residence to locate the man, as well as additional arrest warrants for stalking and violation of a protective order," the spokesperson wrote in an email about the situation. "After several hours of negotiation with officers, the female came out of the residence at about 9 p.m. on Jan. 13."
For the next several hours, police tried unsuccessfully to communicate with the man, the email continued.
"At about 2:57 a.m. on Jan. 14, after nearly 11 hours on scene, officers entered the residence to execute the search and arrest warrants," the spokesperson wrote. "During the search, officers discovered a storage area where the suspect was hiding. The suspect immediately produced a weapon and fired shots at police. Police returned fire, striking the suspect. The suspect was later pronounced deceased at the scene."
Neighbor, Dakota Botkin, who lives two doors down, said he was up all night watching the scene unfold.
"There was cops from all the way up there, all the way down surrounding this home. Like right here -- we couldn’t even go home," said Botkin.
Botkin said he was friends with Kite and even attempted to call him to persuade him to comply with police as the situation unfolded.
"I was going to tell him, 'chill -- just get it over with and come out,' but he didn't want to," said Botkin."He didn't pick up."
Thursday morning, following his death, Botkin described how he would remember his friend.
"He was nice, everybody knew him. He was nice -- he always tried to help people out," Botkin said. "It’s kind of messed up. It’s crazy in a way."
Chesterfield Police released a statement on social media Thursday morning following the shooting.
"In the face of deadly violence, our officers performed swiftly, decisively, and reasonably given the fact they were being shot at by the decedent," Chesterfield Police Chief Col. Jeff Katz wrote.
Katz pointed out this was the second day in row members of the Chesterfield SWAT team were fired upon.
"The first subject ultimately, allowed us to take him into custody peacefully. During this morning's incident, the subject chose to end the situation violently," Katz wrote. "We much prefer the first outcome."
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