RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Authorities have identified the naked man who was shot and killed on I-95 on Monday.
Richmond Police say that officers responded to reports of a naked man, identified as 24-year-old Marcus-David L. Peters, of Henrico, ‘running around crazy’ on I-95 in downtown Richmond and later shot the suspect after he charged at officers.
“We are all deeply affected by what happened here – by the loss of life,” Chief Alfred Durham said on Tuesday. “Our officers do not take the use of deadly force lightly. I think it’s important to remember that being naked does not remove a threat. So far, the eyewitness accounts we’ve heard have been consistent: our officer tried using verbal commands, then used non-lethal force first by deploying his Taser before using his service weapon.”
Peters attended VCU and was a 2016 honors graduate, the university confirmed.
8News spoke with Gene Lepley, Richmond Police’s Public Affairs Director, about the incident.
According to Lepley, the incident occurred after a hit and run near Belvidere Street and Franklin Street around 5:30 p.m.
An officer witnessed the crash and pursed the driver, who drove on the ramp on Chamberlayne Avenue. Once upon the ramp, the fleeing driver hit two other vehicles and struck a tree.
Police found the suspect naked after he exited his wrecked vehicle. The officer attempted to use their taser to control the man.
After failing to control the man, an officer resorted to using his gun and shot the suspect, who police say was unarmed.
“This doesn’t happen every day, we’re just trying to figure out exactly why this person did the hit and run, why he didn’t have any clothes on, why he attacked our officer and forced our officer to use deadly force,” Lepley said.
The man was shot twice in the abdomen, according to two police sources. He was transported to a local medical center where he died shortly after midnight.
The officer involved in the shooting is being questioned and on leave, according to Lepley. The officer’s name will be released once risk assessment has been completed.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Major Crimes Detective R. Wigfall at (804) 646-6769 or contact Crime Stoppers at 780-1000 or at www.7801000.com. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app “95 Incident” for smartphones may also be used to submit still photographs or videos. All three Crime Stoppers methods of contact are anonymous.
Stay with 8News for updates on this developing story.
