Incidents

At approximately 8:00 p.m., Lynchburg Police responded to the Super 8 Motel on Candlers Mountain Road to serve an arrest warrant on 32-year-old Francisco J. Hernandez Jr., of Newport News. Hernandez barricaded himself inside his room with a hostage. After a 3 hour standoff Hernandez was shot by Lynchburg Police.

Virginia State Police hunted Christopher J. Martin while driving a Toyota Tacoma on Route 58 near Glendale Road in Carroll County at 12:53 p.m. They pursued him, then a local officer and Virginia State Trooper shot and killed him.

Virginia Beach police officer Sean A. Fearon is charged with felony object sexual penetration, felony abduction, and felony destruction of evidence. Fearon was on duty at the time of the alleged incident.

The VBPD Detective Bureau began an investigation and presented their findings to the Chesapeake's Office of Commonwealth's Attorney, who convened a grand jury. The grand jury indicted Fearon on all the charges.

Travis Taurean Martin was pulled over by Roanoke Police. Police say Martin exited his vehicle with a weapon and advanced towards police, who then shot him.

"Hill was arrested June 4 by Virginia Beach police on charges of trespassing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. He was taken to the jail after a magistrate denied him bond. Hill was 'uncooperative and combative' during the booking process and had to be restrained, according to the sheriff’s department. Less than a half hour after arriving at the jail, he experienced a 'medical emergency' and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. He died six days later."

The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide due to "positional and mechanical asphyxia due to restraint with neck and torso compression".

Record is sealed (7/24/2024).

"The Executive Committee met on March 28, 2024... The CJSB Executive Committee also heard the decertification appeals of:

• Terrell Fields, formerly with the Newport News Police Department, and voted to sustain the decertification of Mr. Fields as a law enforcement officer as the evidence presented supported the allegation of a violation of state or federal law and the defendant did not provide good cause to overturn the decertification.

• Frank Winston, formerly with the Manassas Park Police Department, and voted to sustain the decertification of Mr. Winston as there was evidence presented indicating there was a violation of state or federal law; and, in the performance of his duties, Mr. Winston called into question his honesty and integrity.

• Isabella Mullen, formerly with the Fairfax County Police Department, and voted to overturn the decertification of Ms. Mullen for her showing good cause to be reinstated.

• Carter Cash, formerly with the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, and voted to sustain the decertification of Mr. Cash as the evidence presented indicated he violated state/federal law, and he did not provide good cause to overturn his decertification.

• Marcus Schreiber, formerly with the Appomattox County Sheriff’s Office, and voted to sustain the decertification of Mr. Schreiber as the evidence presented, he engaged in activities that compromised his honesty, integrity and credibility."

Wynter Sloan Thurston filed a personal injury by motor vehicle claim against Henrico K-9 officer Garrett Jacob Bardenheier and Henrico County in Henrico Circuit Court, Civil Division, on May 9, 2024. On June 3, the County and Bardenheier, a K-9 officer, claimed special immunity. The case was pending as active in January 2025.

Hanover County Sheriff's deputy P. C. (Peter) Chapman violated the rights of Deshawn Eugene Taylor at a traffic stop, then engaged in reverse prosecution of his victim, according to a PACER entry for Deshawn Taylor v Commonwealth of Virginia dated May 2024.

Twenty-year-old Kenneth Sharp was asleep in his car prior to the attack by police. They shot and killed him near the 1900 block of Cedar St. in Richmond, Virginia on March 31, 2024.

The perpetrator was Todd Wesley Hall, a white officer. He was not criminally charged.

On December 17, 2023 at roughly 22:33, "Officer G. G. Rathore and Officer B. M. Hager arrived at the Ramada Inn located at 21 Signal Knob Drive in reference to a disorderly female who was said to be behind of the front desk without permission, throwing cans of soda in the lobby area of the business, and running through the hallways carrying a fire extinguisher."

At some point, Office Rathore encountered Melissa Renee Tompkins in the rear parking lot of the hotel, where she allegedly "grabbed his baton and used it to hit him in the head". Rathore shot Tompkins multiple times.

Tompkins was taken to Winchester Medical Center where she died of her injuries. Rathore was treated at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital and released.

Deputy Andrew Simonetti was placed on administrative leave after tackling a 58-year-old man outside a storage facility.

Former trooper files suit against supervisors, alleging whistleblower retribution for filing misconduct complaints against trooper Fairley M. Blevins.

While off-duty, Christopher Newport University Chief of Police Daniel F. Woloszynowski, hit 58-year-old Shaine Deeleeoan Henderson, a pedestrian, with his vehicle and killed him.

Nearly eight months after Wesley G. Shifflett and James F. Sadler chased, harassed, cornered, and then murdered Timothy "Tim" McCree Johnson, a 37-year-old Black man leaving the mall, a special grand jury in Fairfax County indicted one of them for felony crimes.

Shifflett, a Fairfax County Police officer since 2016 up until April of 2023, will face a class-five felony charge of involuntary manslaughter and a second charge citing reckless handling of firearms. The special grand jury was the second to convene to consider prosecuting the February 22, 2023 murder of Mr. Johnson. The first grand jury failed to issue a true bill. Sadler, the other Fairfax County officer who shot Tim Johnson and was reportedly not in uniform at the time of the killing, was never charged with a crime.

Sgt. William Mikolay was accused of assaulting a man after a chase and was charged in Albemarle County with malicious wounding and misdemeanor assault and battery.

Off-duty officer arrested after DUI crash