PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Editor's note: The original release from the Portsmouth Police Department indicated the shooting happened on June 29, but it has since been corrected to the day before. The story has been updated to reflect those changes.
A man was killed in a shootout with Portsmouth police officers on the night of Wednesday, June 28.
The shooting happened on Greeneland Boulevard near Cherry Road, which is not far from Portsmouth Boulevard. Shortly before 8 p.m., officers responded to a reported shooting at that location and found a 51-year-old woman with life-threatening injuries.
While police were there, there was an armed person, according to the Portsmouth Police Department.
The officers told 56-year-old Richard Albert Stoots Jr. to drop his weapon, but police say he didn't and that he shot at them. Police say that's when they returned fire, killing Stoots.
Charles Johnson, who lives across the street, described a chaotic scene that played out in his neighborhood.
“I heard sirens and then cops and saw a cop, so first thought was just get the kids in the bathroom in the back room," Johnson said. “It sounded like a couple of fireworks real quick, not many, because all the shots went off at the same time within like a second."
He rushed his children inside their home as officers responded to the shooting.
“They were leaning up against my Tahoe to like take cover," Johnson said. "As soon as the gunfire was over, I opened the door and looked outside and they were already over there doing CPR.”
Police say the woman who was shot was taken to a local hospital, where she is being treated. Police also confirmed to 13News Now that no officers were hurt in the shooting.
Virginia State Police (VSP) was brought in to be the lead agency investigating the shooting, the Portsmouth Police Department said.
Johnson said a couple lives at the home where the shooting took place, and said he would see the man living there often.
“I would wave at him every day, watch him ride his motorcycle and pop wheelies for the kids,” he said.
Now, his family is trying to deal with the incident that occurred right across the street.
“It hasn’t even processed for the most part that my neighbor’s gone," Johnson said. "It’s still pretty odd.”
Another neighbor said he knew the man killed in the shootout for 13 years and was a close friend. He said he woke up to the sound of gunshots and police yelling commands. He said he can't believe his friend was involved in this situation.