Please see the following statement from Acting Chief Frank Carpenter and Deputy Chief Dave Shand:
The Chesterfield County Police Department stands by the actions taken by its officers on July 8, 2023, when they responded to a 911 call for reports of breaking and entering in a residential neighborhood in Chesterfield County. Our officers have a duty to protect the community and the right to protect themselves, and our officers did both. In response to the 911 call, our offic...ers were dispatched to the scene of the crime, where they immediately encountered an unrelenting, threatening, and unknown suspect armed with a hatchet in a Chesterfield County neighborhood on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of summer. Despite more than fifteen (15) verbal commands to drop the hatchet and a Taser deployment, the suspect refused to drop the hatchet he had clenched in his right hand. The officers gave additional commands to drop the hatchet and time for the suspect to comply. However, instead of complying with the officers’ commands and dropping the hatchet, the suspect responded by challenging the officers to “come get it”. Our officers, relying on their extensive training and based on the totality of the circumstances presented to them at the time, took necessary and appropriate actions. Again, we stand by the actions of our officers.
Our department learned, after the fact, that the suspect with the hatchet was Mr. Byers. We, along with the responding officers, only learned in the hours after the shooting that the suspect, Mr. Byers, was released from the custody of a hospital and then the custody of another law enforcement agency while still under the temporary detention order. An order that had been entered because there was a substantial likelihood that as a result of mental illness that Mr. Byers would cause or suffer serious harm. The death of Mr. Byers is an outcome no one wanted, including our Police Department and our officers. The impacts of Mr. Byers’ death continue to be felt by our community, our officers and, most significantly, by the Byers family. Our hearts go out to them. We remain thankful for the residents who called 911 that day, and the resident who jumped in without hesitation to help our officers render aid to Mr. Byers. Events like this bring further attention to the weaknesses in our mental health system and reinforce the need for improved communications related to mental health constituents and the services they need. The Chesterfield County Police Department remains committed to being a partner in advocating for meaningful and effective changes that will better serve our community. We understand from media reports that the Byers family is now seeking to add the County and its officer to the already pending litigation. As such, this will be the Police Department’s last statement on this matter.