VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Richmond man was critically injured Friday afternoon after a Virginia Beach police officer shot him during an encounter on Shore Drive, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
Police said the incident began around 1:15 p.m. on July 10 when Virginia Beach Emergency Communications and Citizen Services received a report of a man walking through traffic while armed with a knife.
Responding officers located the 24-year-old man on the shoreline in the 2800 block of Shore Drive. According to police, the man produced an approximately 11-inch knife when officers made contact.
Officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the weapon and attempted to de-escalate the situation, police said. When those efforts were unsuccessful, officers fired a less-lethal sponge round from a SAGE launcher in an attempt to gain compliance. Police said the less-lethal option was ineffective.
One officer then fired his service weapon, striking the man.
Officers immediately provided medical aid before the man was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The officer involved was not injured and has been placed on temporary Critical Incident Leave, which is standard procedure following an officer-involved shooting.
The Virginia Beach Police Department has not released the identities of either the officer or the man involved. The shooting remains under investigation.