Off-duty Virginia police officer charged with voluntary manslaughter in January shooting
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) – An off-duty Virginia police officer has been charged in connection with a deadly January shooting.
Chesapeake police announced Thursday that 34-year-old Edmund Hoyt has been charged in the death of 42-year-old Kelvin White after the Jan. 19 shooting in Chesapeake.
Officials said Hoyt turned himself in at the Chesapeake City Jail, where he was served with a warrant for voluntary manslaughter. He is being held without bond.
Hoyt was off duty when he responded to a call from a family member saying a man had threatened them with a weapon, police say.
Investigators say Hoyt confronted the man, identified as White, and they got into a physical confrontation.
A search warrant states White produced a knife during the confrontation before he was shot. White was transported to a local hospital, but died from his injuries.
“You’re an officer. You have laws. You have certain things that you should live by as an officer — even off duty,” said White’s brother, Maurice White.
Kelvin White’s family said the charges bring them a step closer to a resolution.
“This person was loved,” said Maurice White. “We miss him very much.”
During an interview with family members in January, they said Kelvin White suffered from schizophrenia.
The search warrant also confirms he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the shooting. Police said he was being treated for his mental health.
Maurice White said there’s conflicting information about what led to the gunfire. He said the family is ready for the case to go to court.
Norfolk Police Sgt. William Pickering confirmed that Hoyt was still employed by the Norfolk Police Department as of Thursday, but that he has been on administrative duty since the shooting. Hoyt joined the NPD in 2018.
“It just doesn’t seem right that he’s been employed all this time, knowing what he did,” said Opal White, the victim’s cousin.
If convicted, Hoyt could face one to 10 years in prison.
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