Man shoots himself during traffic stop in Hopewell. Was it by accident or by choice?
HOPEWELL — A motorist stopped for a traffic infraction Tuesday night shot himself while struggling with the officer who pulled him over.
Investigators are still trying to determine if the self-inflicted wound was accidental or deliberate, Hopewell Police Lt. Jacquita Allen said. The unidentified driver was taken to Chippenham Medical Center in Richmond for treatment.
It happened around 9:20 p.m. in the 3400 block of Woodlawn Street. When the officer asked the driver to get out of the vehicle, Allen said he noticed “an abnormal bulge in the waistband of the sole
occupant, which indicated the possible presence of a weapon.”
When the officer went to pat down the driver, he resisted and began to fight the officer.
“The male subject continued to resist the officer’s commands,” Allen said. “Despite efforts to gain control, the male retained possession of the firearm and, whether deliberately or accidentally, discharged it, resulting in a self-inflicted injury.”
The police officer was not injured.
An update on the suspect’s condition was not immediately available Wednesday afternoon.
An investigation is ongoing. Anyone who may information about the incident is asked to call Hopewell Police at (804) 541-2284 or anonymously to Crime Solvers at (804) 541-2202. That info can also be shared through the P3Tips mobile app.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Driver taken to hospital after shooting himself during traffic stop
