‘He is in good spirits’: Richmond Police officer recovering after being shot in the hand, 16-year-old suspect in custody

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond Police Department officer is recovering after the department said he was shot in the hand during a traffic stop — and 16-year-old has been charged in connection to the shooting.

During a press conference on Friday, Sept. 20, Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards announced the 16-year-old suspect turned himself in to the Chesterfield County Police Department in connection to the shooting, which took place at 11:29 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19.

“I got a call that I’ve been dreading since I’ve taken on this role, and that was that we had an officer who had been shot,” Edwards said.

Edwards said the shooting took place after officers stopped a driver who ran a stop sign near the 2300 block of Fairfield Avenue in the city’s East End. He said that, after the officers instructed the occupants to get out of the vehicle, a firearm was discharged and an officer was struck in the hand. Afterwards, the suspect fled the scene.

“A traffic stop is always the unknown,” said security consultant Mike Jones. “You never know who is in there, what weapons they type, they might have, and what their mindset is.”

Edwards said the wounded officer was taken to a hospital, where he is recovering. No shots were fired by any of the officers in the encounter, according to Richmond Police.

“I met with him and his family, he is in good spirits,” said Edwards. “I think he is thankful that this was not much worse, and he is all things considered doing really well.”

The 16-year-old suspect, who already had an active warrant from an unrelated incident before the shooting, has been charged with the following:

• Malicious wounding of a law enforcement officer
• Use of a firearm while committing a felony
• Possession of a firearm by a minor
• Possession of a concealed weapon

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