BILL WASSON; Times-Dispatch Staff Writer
Copyright 2006 Richmond Newspapers, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
A wanted man being chased by Richmond police shot and killed himself yesterday afternoon behind a South Richmond house.
The shooting occurred about 4:20 p.m. in the 2500 block of Dana Avenue between Jefferson Davis Highway and Lynhaven Avenue, police said.
The man shot himself in the head, according to police radio traffic, but police would not confirm that last night.
Police spokeswoman Karla E. Peters would say only that the man suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He died a short time later at VCU Medical Center, Peters said.
Richmond police did not fire at the man, and he did not point his handgun at anyone other than himself, authorities said.
“There was no use of force by police,” Peters said. But the Richmond Police Force Investigation Team was looking into the death, she said.
Police last night declined to release the man’s name pending his positive identification.
Maj. Margaret Horn said warrants were on file against the man, but she did not know the nature of the charges. She said the man appeared to be in his 20s.
One law-enforcement source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the man was wanted for a number of violent felonies.
Police received a tip yesterday afternoon that a wanted person armed with a gun was riding in a gray Dodge Neon.
The chase started when police spotted the car in the area near Interstate 95 and Bells Road. Bells is a block north of Dana, a block-long residential street.
After the Neon turned onto Dana, the wanted man, who was riding in the passenger seat, jumped from the car and fled behind the house, where he shot himself. A police officer administered CPR and called for medical assistance, Peters said.
As of last night, no charges were pending against the Neon’s driver, Peters said.
The shooting occurred a half-block east of Dana and Jefferson Davis Highway, where a May 5 police chase ended when Richmond and Chesterfield County officers shot and killed a 34-year-old man as he pointed a fake pistol at them.
Richmond Police Chief Rodney Monroe described that shooting as a “classic case of suicide by cop.”
Contact staff writer Bill Wasson at bwasson@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6465.
Staff writer Jim Nolan contributed to this report.
May 26, 2006