Family of man killed in officer-involved shooting in Richmond speaks out

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — For the first time, the family of 20-year-old Kenneth Sharp is sharing what their loved one meant to them after he was killed in an officer involved-shooting on Easter Sunday.

Sharp’s mother, Latoya Hardney, and her family spoke with 8News Friday afternoon, weeks after he was shot and killed by a Richmond Police officer on Sunday, March 31.

“My son impacted peoples’ lives and never wanted to do anybody any harm or anything,” Hardney said. “He was just a lovable person, he would make you smile. He would sit down to talk to you and talk to you for hours, and that’s just the type of person he was.”

According to the Richmond Police Department, two officers responded to a disturbance call on Sunday, March 31st around 5 a.m. at the parking lot of an apartment complex on Cedar Street. Police said Sharp pulled out a firearm when they first encountered him, recently released body camera footage shows the incident in full.

Only one of the two officers, now identified as Todd Hall , fired shots during the encounter. Both officers were initially placed on administrative leave with pay but the other officer has since returned to work.

“What’s happening with that case right now is, once the Richmond Police Department completes a criminal review of that case, we will provide the entire file to the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office,” said Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards. “Richmond Commonwealth’s attorney’s office will review that and determine the best course of action.”

The Richmond’s Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office will be responsible for reviewing the incident and deciding whether to bring the evidence to a grand jury or write a letter of declination. Edwards said that, once a decision is made, an internal review will be conducted to determine if any department policies were violated.

While Sharp’s family waits for answers, they say they want the community to know the talkative and lovable person they say Sharp was.

“That was my only son — like, that’s my heart and human form,” Hardney said. “I just want justice for him and justice for everybody else that is suffering and going through the same thing that I’m going through.”

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