HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Police have identified the two women killed in a shooting and barricade incident that ended in a former Henrico police employee being charged.
The victims have been identified as:
- Diane Crowder of Henrico
- Carrie Szaksz of Mechanicsville
Both of the victims were known to the now-identified suspect, 60-year-old Richard Colon Crowder of Henrico. Police confirmed that Crowder is a former Henrico County Police Division employee who retired in 2014.
“Despite his previous affiliation within the Division, Saturday’s barricade incident was handled as we would with any other similar incident when there is known information about occupants being armed,” said Henrico spokesperson, Lt. Matthew Pecka, in a statement. “The safety of all individuals involved in any given situation is our top priority.”
The investigation remains ongoing as Henrico Police is reportedly working closely with the parties involved in the incident.
According to the Henrico Police Department, gunfire erupted from a house on the 7600 block of Phillips Woods Drive in Eastern Henrico on the morning of Saturday, July 2. Officers responded to the scene just after 9:30 a.m. and heard gunfire coming from inside the house.
Two men ran from the home when shots first rang out and were able to get away uninjured. Police eventually made contact with a man inside the house and began trying to get him to come outside.
While the man was barricaded inside the house, the Henrico Fire Department, Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, FBI and Metro-Richmond Flying Squad came to the scene to assist.
At 6:24 p.m., nearly nine hours after the incident began, the man left the house while on the phone with police and was arrested. Officers then went into the house and found two women dead.
Crowder was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony and one count of malicious shooting. He is being held at Henrico County Jail without bond.