Charlottesville police chief addresses online rumors after man hit, killed by driver

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Chief Michael P. Kochis of the Charlottesville Police Department held a press conference Monday afternoon following several days of speculation and online gossip after a man was hit by a vehicle and killed earlier this month in the 700 block of Nassau Street.

Initially, the Charlottesville Police Department reported that Edward F. Anderson, a 42-year-old Charlottesville man, was struck by a vehicle the night of July 6. Police said a woman was sitting in her parked vehicle when Anderson attacked her. As the woman attempted to flee, she hit Anderson with her vehicle, killing him.

"To this date, no person has come forward that contradicts the eyewitness accounts, evidence found on the scene, or the video evidence we have collected of the incident," Kochis said Monday.

But the chief noted that some people who read the initial press release might have concluded the investigation into the death was already finished. "Some may have taken this release as an indication that a conclusion had been reached in less than 24 hours," he said. "That is not true."

Kochis said the investigation is "fluid" and ongoing. "Those involved deserve to know the truth, and that's exactly what's going to happen," he said.

Another issue addressed by the chief was a social media post that appeared shortly after Anderson's death. Information in the post differed greatly from that of eyewitnesses at the scene and evidence collected by police. Despite the online post being quickly deleted, the false information was widely shared on social media, according to Kochis. After police spoke to the person who made the social media post, Kochis said they discovered the individual wasn't at the scene and had posted "speculation they heard in the neighborhood."

Authorities have the driver's data recorder, which has been analyzed with assistance from Virginia State Police, Kochis said. Ring video footage of the incident was obtained, along with the driver's cell phone data. The chief said a weapon, scissors, was also recovered at the scene. Authorities are awaiting a toxicology report from Anderson's autopsy, as well as medical records from the driver, who Kochis said was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Kochis said the driver and Anderson had "absolutely no connection."

No charges have been filed.

The press conference was live-streamed on Facebook.

Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).