UPDATE: Motorist shot in Richmond traffic stop identified
Police from the city of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University shot and wounded a motorist early this morning after the driver charged at officers with a knife during a traffic stop, authorities said.
The motorist was identified this afternoon as Nathan Randolph, 55, of Richmond. Police said Randolph, hospitalized at VCU Medical Center, was charged with attempted capital murder of a police officer.
Authorities said Randolph advanced aggressively at two officers as backup units arrived to assist the Richmond officer during a 2:27 a.m. traffic stop in the 800 block of West Broad Street, in the heart of VCU’s main academic campus. The officer had pulled over a Chrysler sedan that was eastbound on Broad at the Laurel Street intersection, Richmond Sgt. Ron Brown said.
John M. Bennett, VCU’s senior vice president for finance and administration, said campus officers were among those to respond after Randolph became uncooperative and the Richmond officer requested backup.
Randolph got out of his car against police orders and moved toward officers while wielding a knife, and one Richmond officer and one VCU officer opened fire, striking the driver, Bennett said. Brown said Randolph ignored several commands to drop what was described as a large knife before the officers opened fire.
“Despite these commands, Randolph aggressively advanced toward the officers with the knife, and was shot several times,“ Brown said.
Neither officer was injured, Bennett said.
Neither Bennett nor Brown said how many shots were fired.
Broad Street from Belvidere Street to Shafer Street in both directions was closed until 7:30 a.m., and police used yellow crime-scene tape to close off the area as they investigated.
Police called for flatbed wreckers to tow away a number of vehicles, including the Chrysler as well as several police cruisers.
Brown said the Richmond officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while the case is investigated by the department and the office of Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring. The lone VCU officer involved in the shooting has been assigned to desk duty pending the outcome of the investigation, the school said.
Reader Reactions
He gets stopped for a traffic violation- so why react by getting out of the vehicle(to start with) and have a large knife?-had to be alcohol, drugs or something else wrong. Most people do not have a large knife with them- not sure if that is illegal or not- but not the ordinary. If the officers had not protected themselves and gotten hurt or killed- people would have wondered why they bother to carry a gun. They see stuff like this regularly and even the average person would have not just stood there and waited to get stabbed! They tried to get him to stop and he obviously was not going to- I would want to defend myself too! As for anyone who does not think alcohol and drugs are that bad- try reasoning with someone who is under the influence of either one. Look on the internet and see how many crimes were committed by people who think it was o.k.- they basically think it was not their fault- it was the alcohol and drugs that made them do it- otherwise they say they would have not. However- later it cannot be changed -whether it was just being a nuisance in public- or beating up your wife-or murder.
Sands, Sounds like your the one who is willing to shoot anyone and wanting to. You won’t call 911 you’ll take care of it yourself? And you work with law enforcement? That is scarey itself. God help us!
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.
H. L. Mencken
Words of wisdom - Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.
I am amazed and somewhat disgusted someone would ever believe a police officer goes to work wanting to shoot someone. Police officers respond to the unlawful acts of citizens, in an effort to afford all of us a safe environment where we can pursue life and liberty. It’s so easy to sit back after the fact and speculate what you would do in a similar situation, however, speculation isn’t reality. Armchair solutions come from a place of inexperience. I appreciate law enforcements endeavor to enforce the laws passed by the citizens of this great nation.
For you folks who are making disparinging comments about VCU police officers you need to realize a couple of things. First these officers are engaged in many activities from rattling doorknobs to invesstigating serious felonies. To compare them to poorly trained security guards that could not make it on real departments, etc. are just wrong. I have been a local, state and federal officer and have knowlege of what those officers do. The Taylor Behl homicide case was investigated by VCU PD and they were the ones who located her remains in Matthews Co,. even as pundits like Nancy Grace badmouthed them and stated they weren’t up to the job of working this homicide and the FBI should be called in. They are just like any cops and are doing what they have been trained to do. I think that the fact both VCU and RPD officers both percieved the same threat and both fired shows me that they were in fear of their lives. Anyone coming after a cop with an edged weapon will get smoked if he is within 21 feet. I am glad the officers are safe.
If you were one of the three, you would know who I am. Have you thought that just maybe, there are many more officers out there that have shot someone? I don’t personally know all of them—just three.
Don’t worry, I won’t call 911 if I am threatened by a criminal (or a cop). I will take care of it myself.
You sounded almost normal when you first started commenting.
Sands,
Dear sir, I challenge your credibility and charge that you try to support your theorem through dishonesty. I am one of the three, and I guarantee, I have not spoken to you before. I must say, unless you have been there before, you know not of what you speak, except for ignorance and blindness and deception. You see not my friend, so I say this—please do not call upon those you have taken for granted…do not call upon those that put it on the line every day…do not pretend sir, for a moment, that you can do what we dedicate ourselves to do. Upon your next encounter, when your home is compromised, when your family is in danger, please sir, don’t call.
We’ll be there when you can’t be. We’ll take care of you when you are thankless. That’s what we do.
The motorist was only wounded? What has happened to marksmanship in this country? They should have blown his head off.
So then the VCU Cops need to be tied into Richmond city to handle alcohol and drugs? What a waste.
Also, every party they break up, do they have to arrest everyone there? I’ve been to parties that they just break up, and not check everyone ID’s. That’s a room full of potential rapists and theieves getting away scot-free, according to the logic of some in this thread.
And prohibition of a substance isn’t the same as prohibition on age. I think it is absurd to even claim such a thing.
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