The fatal officer-involved shooting in Richmond Tuesday night was preceded by the suspect charging at officers with what appeared to be a knife, but was instead a sheath used to hold a knife, according to the Richmond Police Department.
The RPD provided new details, along with a photo of the black sheath on the ground of the crime scene, on social media Wednesday.
According to police, the incident unfolded at about 8:13 p.m. on the Union Pacific Railroad right of way just west of the 300 block of Carlson Blvd, near the Pullman Point Apartments.
The RPD was trying to arrest the suspect on a felony domestic violence warrant, but the suspect refused and a standoff ensued for about 30 minutes.
“During the standoff, the suspect wielded an object that appeared to be a knife,” the RPD stated. “The subject ignored multiple commands to drop the object. Despite our officer’s efforts to defuse the situation and end the standoff peacefully, the suspect charged the officers with the object in his hand while raising it in a threatening manner. This resulted in an officer-involved shooting occurring.”
Investigators recovered the black sheath at the scene.
As this shooting is considered an “unarmed” officer-involved fatal incident under AB 1506, the RPD said it “immediately notified” the California Department of Justice (DOJ), which dispatched investigators to the scene.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta confirmed in a statement that the DOJ is investigating and will independently review the incident. The RPD said it would fully cooperate with the DOJ’s investigation.