Suspect ID'd in officer-involved shooting

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - A man accused of dragging a Norfolk officer along a road when he attempted to stop him from stealing his unmarked police vehicle has been identified.

Marius Xavier Mitchell, 29, of Norfolk is facing charges of malicious wounding, grand larceny and felony eluding police, according to Chris Amos with the Norfolk Police Department.

Tuesday, Amos said the officer involved in the incident noticed a "suspicious vehicle" pull into the parking lot of a 7-Eleven convenience store at Hampton Boulevard and Beechwood Avenue around 11:30 a.m. One of the occupants in the vehicle ran on foot and a short chase followed.

MItchell circled back around to the front of the 7-Eleven, got behind the wheel of the officer's car and tried to drive away, according to Amos. As the officer reached into the vehicle to stop the suspect, the car dragged the officer along the road.

At that point, the officer managed to reach for his gun and shot Mitchell, who continues to recover from non-life threatening injuries at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. 

Witnesses say they saw Mitchell in the car with his hands in the air and the officer standing outside the vehicle with his gun drawn.

"[The officer] was maybe eight to 10 feet away, but he was gesturing at the guy to do something," Steve Azar, who was driving by the scene said. "He definitely had his gun drawn."

Another witness, Anthony Esposito, says he heard the gunshots and the officer yelling for the suspect to stop.

"I heard 'Stop! Stop!' two or three times," Esposito said. "And then I heard, 'Pop! Pop!'"

When Esposito got closer to the scene, he saw other officers arriving to back up the first officer. All were in uniform.

"Another officer came over, pointed the gun and took over," Esposito said. "The [first] officer grabbed his chest or stomach and kind of dropped to his knee."

The officer did not require medical treatment and was not shot. It is unknown if Mitchell was carrying a weapon.

Police located the gold 4-door Dodge Avenger Mitchell originally arrived in on nearby Greenbrier Avenue. The vehicle was behind a mostly empty apartment building. Police have not arrested the driver who left the scene.

Police have not released any information about the officer involved in the shooting or his history with the department. Amos did say the officer will be placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation. That practice is standard procedure in all similar cases.