Norfolk officers fatally shot man in exchange of gunfire while attempting arrest in Larchmont, police say
Norfolk police said officers shot and killed a man in an exchange of gunfire early Tuesday morning outside a Larchmont apartment complex while attempting to arrest him on outstanding warrants.
The shooting happened about 5:10 a.m. in the 5500 block of Monroe Place in Norfolk, just a short distance from Larchmont Elementary School and Old Dominion University. The man died at the scene.
Police have not released his name but family members identified him as 41-year-old Antonio “A.J.” Beekman of Norfolk. Beekman was a truck driver and lived at Larchmont Apartments, where the shooting occurred, according to his sister, Erica Eley.
“I’m just trying to wrap my head around this,” Eley said as she stood just outside the crime scene tape. One of her sisters had called her early Tuesday to break the news.
Police said they were attempting to arrest the man on multiple felony charges when he began shooting. Four of the officers returned fire, according to police. No officers were injured.
“Upon locating the wanted suspect, officers assigned to the Special Operations Team, identified themselves as police officers to the wanted suspect,” Norfolk police said in a statement. “After identifying themselves, the suspect began to shoot at the officers.”
A Norfolk police spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for more information and the police statement didn’t indicate whether a gun was retrieved from the scene or what the warrants were for.
A neighbor who lives down the street from the scene said she heard between 10 and 20 gunshots in quick succession. She didn’t hear any shouting of any kind before the shots rang out.
“There were no cars, no sound, just woken by the bullets,” said the woman, who declined to give her name, adding that violence in the neighborhood is rare.
A 21-year-old Old Dominion University student who lives in an apartment building nearby said she was woken by the gunfire. She said she heard about a dozen shots and then shouting.
Multiple members of Beekman’s family gathered at the scene throughout the day Tuesday to mourn his death and seek answers from law enforcement.
They set up lawn chairs across the street from the police line, expressing shock and confusion about how the incident could have happened. A young woman walked away from the group with two others who were consoling her before she broke down, collapsing in the grass in front of the elementary school.
Beekman typically left for work at about the time the shooting happened, Eley said. A friend who was in his apartment was woken by the gunfire and ran outside, she said. Beekman was already dead by the time the friend got to him.
“He was such a loving man,” Eley said. “He impacted the lives of everyone he met.”
Virginia State Police is investigating the shooting at the request of interim Police Chief Michael Goldsmith, state police spokesperson Sgt. Michelle Anaya said.
Gavin Stone, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
Reporter Lauren Girgis contributed to this report.
