CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WRIC) — The Chesterfield County Police Department (CCPD) is investigating after a suspect died during a shootout involving a police officer early Thursday morning.
According to authorities, officers went out to an address in the 17100 block of Lansmill Drive on Wednesday around 4:15 p.m. to serve a warrant. The suspect reportedly ran into the home when he saw Chesterfield Police approaching and refused to come outside for several hours. Police said a woman was also in the home.
Police said they obtained a search warrant for the residence to locate the man, as well as additional arrest warrants for stalking and violation of a protective order.
Officers on the scene negotiated with the woman for several hours until she came out of the home around 9 p.m. Police cannot confirm or deny if the woman inside the home during the shootout was the person who had a protective order against the suspect.
“At that point, the male suspect stopped communicating with police. For the next several hours, officers used an array of technological resources to attempt to reestablish contact with the suspect and avoid a violent encounter,” Chesterfield Police said in a release. “These efforts were unsuccessful.”
After 11 hours on the scene, officers entered the home at approximately 2:57 a.m. Thursday to execute the search warrant.
During the search, police officers found the storage area where the suspect was hiding. Police said the suspect fired shots at the officers and the officers returned fire.
The suspect was struck and killed.
Police identified the suspect Thursday afternoon as Jeffrey D. Kite, 36.
A police source added that he is a convicted felon who “never should have had a gun” in the first place. Officers are investigating how he got the firearm. The source says Kite was ordered to stay away from a domestic assault victim after an assault involving a firearm.
No officers were injured during the shootout. An investigation is underway.
Chesterfield County Police Chief Jeffrey Katz responded to the incident on social media saying, “for the second time in as many days, the CCPD SWAT team confronted an individual who fire upon officers.”
Chief Katz said during this morning’s incident, the suspect chose to end the situation violently.
Read his statement here.
Katz told 8News that Kite should have been in jail but was somehow released after an appeal.
A neighbor and friend of the man who died tells 8News he heard two separate incidents of shots being fired.
Botkin says he last spoke with the man who was killed about a week or two ago. They used to work in construction together.
Botkin says residents in the area were told to remain in their homes during the standoff.
“I see they were doing their job, but then, in a way, you didn’t have to kill him,” he said.
Botkin and his mother, Ginger, say the man who was killed had two dogs, Ace and Kane, both of which were taken from the scene by Chesterfield County Animal Services.
“I’m sorry for his family that he passed away,” Botkin said.
Botkin tells 8News that he was not away of any prior criminal history that could have lead to the warrants, which police were trying to serve.
This is a developing story. Stay with 8News for updates.
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