On Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 5:48 p.m., Norfolk police officers responded to an armed, barricaded subject following a domestic dispute in the 1100 block of Land Street.
Upon arrival, the officers were met by a woman who told them that her husband had held her at gunpoint and threatened to kill her. She was able to escape the residence and sought safety at a nearby home.
The victim’s husband, 58-year-old Keith Richardson, had barricaded himself in their home on Land Street prior to the officers arriving on scene. Police quickly established a perimeter and neighbors were evacuated for safety precautions.
Norfolk Police Hostage Negotiators were able to make contact with Mr. Richardson and continued to speak with him in an attempt to resolve the matter peacefully. However, Mr. Richardson refused to lay down his weapon and surrender to police during negotiations.
After several hours, Mr. Richardson exited the residence armed with a handgun and approached his vehicle. Mr. Richardson then went back into his residence.
Negotiations and tactical maneuvers continued, imploring Mr. Richardson to surrender peacefully. Instead, he exited the residence armed with a handgun. A Norfolk Police K9 dog was used in an attempt to apprehend Mr. Richardson and neutralize the threat he posed to officers on scene and the general public. Mr. Richardson then shot and killed Norfolk Police Dog “Krijger” K-148.
After killing K9 Krijger, Mr. Richardson raised his weapon, posing a threat to officers at the scene. At that time, a member of the Special Operations Team shot Mr. Richardson and a second K9 dog was deployed to assist with the apprehension. The second NPD K9 was able to hold Mr. Richardson until Special Operation Team members were able to take him into custody at approximately 1:30 a.m.
Mr. Richardson was provided immediate first aid on scene and was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he is currently listed in critical condition.
Mr. Richardson remains in police custody while hospitalized. Four warrants, including abduction, robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and brandishing a firearm were secured against Mr. Richardson based upon the initial domestic dispute that called police to the scene.
As is routine for any officer-involved shooting incident, the officer involved in Mr. Richardson’s shooting has been placed on administrative duty pending review of the completed investigation.
Norfolk Police Dog “Krijger” K-148 was a four-year-old Belgian Malinois and had been in service for three years. Krijger was a dedicated and loyal member of the K9 Unit and will be missed by his handler and the men and women of the Norfolk Police Department.
The initial stages of the preliminary investigation into this incident remain ongoing. At this time, there is no further information available for release.