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Man accidentally shot wife before shootout with Portsmouth police, court documents say

The documents shed light on what led Portsmouth police officers to exchange gunfire with Richard Albert Stoots Jr., who died from his injuries.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The wife of the man killed in a police shootout in Portsmouth was shot in the face and shoulder beforehand, court documents obtained by 13News Now revealed. Her injuries were considered life-threatening.

The documents shed light on what led Portsmouth police officers to exchange gunfire with Richard Albert Stoots Jr., 56, who died from his injuries. It happened on Greeneland Boulevard near Cherry Road on the night of June 28.

RELATED: Nearby residents, friends react after Portsmouth man killed in shootout with police

According to the documents, Portsmouth dispatchers got a call around 8 p.m. that day from a man saying he accidentally shot his wife. Later in the call, he became uncooperative with dispatchers.

When police officers arrived, they found a man, later identified as Stoots, on the front porch with a gun.

Detectives said he began arguing with officers before shooting at them. The document said those officers fired back, killing Stoots.

Neighbors in the area saw heard several gunshots that night and watch officers investigate the situation for several hours. 

“They were leaning up against my Tahoe to take cover," Charles Johnson, a neighbor, told 13News Now last week. "As soon as the gunfire was over, I opened the door and looked outside and they were already over there doing CPR.”

The search warrant said detectives found a 51-year-old woman inside the home shot in the face and shoulder. Medics took the woman to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, who was in critical condition at the time. 

Documents said hospital staff told detectives the woman had major trauma to the left side of her face and damage to her left eye, which will require several surgeries to treat.

Investigators also found firearms, gun parts and ammunition magazines at the home.

Virginia State Police are investigating the shooting.

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