Questions remain after a shootout involving an off-duty Norfolk sheriff’s deputy. Here’s what we know.

Virginia State Police on Wednesday identified the man who was killed in a shootout last week with an off-duty Norfolk sheriff’s deputy — a disclosure that came several hours after The Virginian-Pilot posted a story online about the lack of information available regarding the case.

The deceased is Michael Antonio Good Jr., 33, of Portsmouth. VSP said it verified his identity using fingerprint analysis with the help of the Norfolk Police Department.

The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office immediately turned over the investigation of the July 20 shooting to the state. That meant the identification of the deceased and notification of next of kin, which is an “investigative process,” became the responsibility of state police, said sheriff’s spokesperson Jamie Bastas. But as of Wednesday morning — seven days after the fatal shooting — VSP had not released Good’s name. A spokesperson cited the ongoing effort to reach Good’s family as the reason for the delay.

In homicide investigations, law enforcement notify the closest family members of the deceased before releasing the name to the public, which typically takes a day or two. For example, Norfolk police confirmed the identity of Antonio Beekman the day after he was killed by police, despite an ongoing investigation by the state police into the officers’ actions.

Good was killed the night of July 20 when he and the unnamed deputy engaged in an “exchange of gunfire” at a residence in the 8000 block of Glade Road, according to the sheriff’s office. The deputy was shot and hospitalized.

Two neighbors said the residence was owned by a sheriff’s deputy — whose identity has not been released. He has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to Bastas.

The law enforcement agencies involved in the incident and investigation have offered limited information about the fatal shooting. While neither the state police nor the sheriff’s office have offered any possible motive or explanation of the circumstances surrounding the shooting, a VSP spokesperson referred to the deputy who opened fire as the “victim.” .

“The victim in this particular incident is not deceased,” Michelle Anaya, a spokesperson for VSP, wrote Tuesday in an email response to questions about the incident. “The individual who died at the scene had to be positively identified by the Medical Examiners Officers, which is not our agency, and once we have the identification, a search must be made to identify next of kin.”

She did not respond to a follow up question about whether that statement represented an official conclusion that Good was the aggressor.

The Norfolk Police Department initially announced it was investigating the shooting, which happened within city limits and its jurisdiction. The department has an incident report number listed for the homicide, but a spokesperson declined to provide a copy of the report and deferred a request for the document to the state police.

VSP denied The Virginian-Pilot’s Freedom of Information Act request for the incident report, citing state law protecting law enforcement from mandatory disclosures of records relating to an “ongoing criminal investigation.”

Disclosure of documents related to criminal investigative files is not prohibited under the law, rather the law states that the records custodian may use their discretion on releasing these records.

VSP is investigating several recent shootings by local law enforcement officers — including a fatal shooting by Norfolk police and a non-fatal shooting by Portsmouth police. Bastas said it is not a requirement for state police to investigate departmental shootings, but rather the best method to avoid the perception of bias.

“That is a decision made on a case-by-case basis and up to each individual law enforcement agency,” she said. “However, when considering the importance of maintaining public trust, it only makes sense to not investigate yourself.”

Bastas explained that the Norfolk Police Department alone would have investigated Good’s death were it not for the off-duty deputy’s involvement. Interim Norfolk Police Chief Michael Goldsmith asked Sheriff Joe Baron whom he wanted to handle the investigation, Bastas said, and Baron chose VSP to ensure that there were “no perception issues that may affect our community’s trust in the process.”

“The Virginia State Police are completely capable of ensuring a thorough investigation, objectivity and neutrality, and transparency,” she said.

Bastas referred to the sheriff’s office as a “third party” in the investigation into the deputy’s actions, and added that the sheriff’s office is not involved in the investigation “in any way” except to provide information to VSP upon request.

Andrea Noble contributed to this report.

Gavin Stone, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com