SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, Va. – A wanted Roanoke man who authorities considered to be “armed and dangerous” died Tuesday after a police chase ended in a crash in Southampton County.
Keshon Darius Reynolds, 20, of Roanoke, was pronounced dead at VCU Medical Center in Richmond on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Southampton Sheriff’s Office.
After a short pursuit resulted in a crash, deputies at the scene saw that Reynolds had “obvious and significant” head trauma they say was consistent with a gunshot wound and not related to the crash, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Inside the car, deputies found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine and a 9mm shell casing that matched the ammunition in the pistol, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The medical examiner’s office in Richmond performed an autopsy on Wednesday, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The findings of that autopsy have not been released.
The incident began just before 9 a.m. on Tuesday when a deputy stopped a car for a traffic violation on Route 58 in Drewryville, Va.
The deputy learned the driver, Reynolds, was wanted out of Roanoke for shooting into an occupied dwelling and was considered armed and dangerous, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Reynolds was the only person in the car.
When deputies approached the car to have Reynolds step out, he drove away, making it about one mile down the road before driving over a median, past two eastbound lanes of travel and into the woods, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Emergency crews secured and stabilized the vehicle so that EMS personnel could get to Reynolds. He was airlifted to VCU Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities said no one other than Reynolds was hurt in the incident.
The Sheriff’s Office said this incident was not an officer-involved shooting, citing rumors stating otherwise. They said none of the deputies involved discharged their guns during the incident.