VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The man who died after barricading himself inside a Virginia Beach home was Craig Byl, 48. He was likely killed by police gunfire, not from a self-inflicted injury, according to the city's police.
The Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) said all officers involved are on administrative leave and the city's Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney will conduct an independent investigation.
The police department shared its account of what happened in a Wednesday morning update, over a day after the situation unfolded on Decathlon Drive Monday night into early Tuesday morning.
Virginia Beach police officers responded to the 1900 block of Decathlon Drive around 9:30 p.m. Monday night following a 911 call for a "domestic-related incident."
The call said there was a man inside a home with several guns and ammunition, threatening harm to himself and others.
After officers arrived, a woman safely got out of the house. The officers then confirmed the man, Byl, had a shotgun. He entered and exited the front door several times while pointing the gun at himself.
For nearly three hours, officers tried to negotiate with Byl to get him to give up the shotgun. Around 12:15 a.m., he exited the home again, this time with a handgun, which he pointed at his head, police said.
Byl spent the next hour brandishing different firearms, continuing to point them at himself.
Around 1:15 a.m., the officers used "less-lethal munitions" to try to subdue and take Byl into custody, but they didn't work, and he ran back inside the home.
Byl allegedly started shooting his shotgun and handgun at the officers through the windows. Officers shot back.
After the shootout stopped, VBPD's SWAT unit arrived and went inside the home, finding Byl dead just inside the front door, according to the police department.
Police also recovered the shotgun, a 9mm pistol and several spent cartridge cases. No officers were hurt.
While VBPD believes Byl died as a result of their end of the shootout, the Norfolk Medical Examiner's Office will confirm his exact cause of death.
Aside from the independent investigation, VBPD is doing its own criminal investigation and will turn over all evidence to the city's Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney, who will determine if anyone broke the law.
After the criminal investigations are done, VBPD will do an administrative review to see if officers complied with police training.
If you have information about what happened, please contact the police department at 757-385-4101. You can also submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or online using P3 Tips.