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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The prosecutor's office in Newport News, Virginia, has begun investigating a fatal shooting by a city police officer.
Media outlets report that the Newport News Police Department has completed its criminal investigation of the July 4 shooting and turned the file over to the commonwealth attorney's office, which will determine whether the shooting was justified. An internal police investigation continues.
Twenty-three-year-old Kawanza J. Beaty was shot during an early-morning police chase after an officer received a tip that Beaty was carrying a sawed-off shotgun. Police have said Beaty ignored orders to drop the weapon.
Three officers involved in the pursuit were placed on administrative leave during the investigations. Their names and races have not been disclosed. Beaty was black.
Beaty's family has asked for a separate federal investigation.
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