NORFOLK, VA - Authorities have confirmed that a Norfolk police officer was shot multiple times in a shootout with an armed suspect while responding to assist in a child protective services call in the 3800 block of Arcadia Street.
According to WTKR, the incident happened during the afternoon on Saturday, July 6th. Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot said in a statement, "Officers arrived on scene and almost immediately were confronted by a female who was combative. As officers were trying to control the female, a male came out of a residence and fired several times at police officers." The officers responding by returning fire.
Chief Talbot said, "In the exchange a police officer was struck multiple times. He's considered to be in good condition at this point. The suspect was also struck, multiple times and he's considered to be in critical condition at this point."
The child from the custody call is safe and police believe it was an isolated incident. Talbot added, "There is no danger to the community and we don't expect to be looking for anyone else involved."
The suspects charged in the shooting of the officer were later identified as Samuel Burton, 29 and Cassandra Smith, 23.
Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi was also on scene as Virginia State Police began their investigation into the incident. Fatehi said in a statement, "These are among the most serious cases that prosecutors in the United States handle. I have a personal responsibility to be here to see the scene myself, to speak to people while things are fresh, to be available to state police while the state police does its investigation."
This incident marks the fourth shooting involving Norfolk police this year. Fatehi said, "People need to stop shooting at the police. I hate to be that blunt about it, but it's that simple. Each of these things is its own things, with its own facts. It depends on what happens on a given day, but the common denominator is people are shooting at the cops and they need to stop."
The first officer-involved shooting took place in January in the Wards Corner area where a man pulled a knife on an officer and was shot. The suspect died the officer in that shooting was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation, which is normal protocol.
The second officer-involved shooting took place on Terminal Boulevard in March when a wanted man was in a vehicle pursuit with police and was shot. That suspect also died. A few months later, in May, the third officer-involved shooting happened when a wanted man was hit with gunfire during a shootout with police. That man was later arrested and charged. One of the officers involved was injured, but not from gunfire and was expected to be OK.
Following the incident that happened on Saturday, July 6th, Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate posted to X, "@VBPD is sending our prayers to @NorfolkPD & their officer who was shot this afternoon serving & protecting his community!" According to WAVY, during a press conference, Chief Talbot said:
"Today's shooting is yet another reminder of the dangers that exist in the work that Norfolk Police Officers do each day to keep the city and its residents safe. This afternoon officers were called upon to resolve a volatile situation that escalated quickly despite significant steps taken by officers to de-escalate."
Talbot added, "This incident was tragic. But we can all be thankful that it wasn't much worse. The officers did exactly what they were trained to do, which was nothing short of heroic. They put themselves in harm's way so that others would not have to. We are grateful that our officer who was shot several times will survive his injuries and we all owe a debt of gratitude for the bravery and professionalism that was shown by all of the officers who were involved."
According to WTKR, the incident happened during the afternoon on Saturday, July 6th. Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot said in a statement, "Officers arrived on scene and almost immediately were confronted by a female who was combative. As officers were trying to control the female, a male came out of a residence and fired several times at police officers." The officers responding by returning fire.
Chief Talbot said, "In the exchange a police officer was struck multiple times. He's considered to be in good condition at this point. The suspect was also struck, multiple times and he's considered to be in critical condition at this point."
The child from the custody call is safe and police believe it was an isolated incident. Talbot added, "There is no danger to the community and we don't expect to be looking for anyone else involved."
The suspects charged in the shooting of the officer were later identified as Samuel Burton, 29 and Cassandra Smith, 23.
Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi was also on scene as Virginia State Police began their investigation into the incident. Fatehi said in a statement, "These are among the most serious cases that prosecutors in the United States handle. I have a personal responsibility to be here to see the scene myself, to speak to people while things are fresh, to be available to state police while the state police does its investigation."
This incident marks the fourth shooting involving Norfolk police this year. Fatehi said, "People need to stop shooting at the police. I hate to be that blunt about it, but it's that simple. Each of these things is its own things, with its own facts. It depends on what happens on a given day, but the common denominator is people are shooting at the cops and they need to stop."
The first officer-involved shooting took place in January in the Wards Corner area where a man pulled a knife on an officer and was shot. The suspect died the officer in that shooting was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation, which is normal protocol.
The second officer-involved shooting took place on Terminal Boulevard in March when a wanted man was in a vehicle pursuit with police and was shot. That suspect also died. A few months later, in May, the third officer-involved shooting happened when a wanted man was hit with gunfire during a shootout with police. That man was later arrested and charged. One of the officers involved was injured, but not from gunfire and was expected to be OK.
Following the incident that happened on Saturday, July 6th, Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate posted to X, "@VBPD is sending our prayers to @NorfolkPD & their officer who was shot this afternoon serving & protecting his community!" According to WAVY, during a press conference, Chief Talbot said:
"Today's shooting is yet another reminder of the dangers that exist in the work that Norfolk Police Officers do each day to keep the city and its residents safe. This afternoon officers were called upon to resolve a volatile situation that escalated quickly despite significant steps taken by officers to de-escalate."
Talbot added, "This incident was tragic. But we can all be thankful that it wasn't much worse. The officers did exactly what they were trained to do, which was nothing short of heroic. They put themselves in harm's way so that others would not have to. We are grateful that our officer who was shot several times will survive his injuries and we all owe a debt of gratitude for the bravery and professionalism that was shown by all of the officers who were involved."
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Comments
2024-07-09T09:38-0400 | Comment by: DS
GOOD RIDDANCE !