Law firm worker survives carjacking, police chase, being shot in head during lunch break
A lunch break for two workers at a Richmond, Virginia, law firm turned tragic on Monday when they stopped for gas at a station less than a mile from BrownGreer and the driver was held up at gunpoint, authorities said.
After the victim said he had no money, the would-be robber got into the back seat of the man’s Ford Explorer and ordered him to drive, along with his passenger, to a nearby bank, according to WTVR and WWBT.
At the bank, the passenger went inside and called 911. When police arrived, the suspect again ordered the law firm worker to drive and a 30-minute pursuit ensued throughout Richmond, authorities said. Eventually, police were able to flatten the vehicle’s tires with spike strips, and the SUV struck a parked vehicle and stopped.
At that point, Richmond police say, the suspect shot the driver in the head at point-blank range, fired at police and was himself shot by officers. Henrico County and state police assisted Richmond police.
Both the suspect and the injured law firm worker are hospitalized in critical condition. They have not been officially identified, pending criminal charges against the suspect, but the Richmond Times-Dispatch says the BrownGreer worker was identified by a relative as Russell Turner. The WTVR article says Turner, a senior analyst with the law firm, also was identified as the shooting victim by police sources.
Tom Payne told the Dispatch that Turner is in good condition under the circumstances and is expected to survive. He described himself as an uncle of Turner’s wife.
“I have to give credit to the victims,” Richmond police chief Alfred Durham told WWBT. “He did the right thing, but unfortunately ended like this and hopefully, our prayers are out to the victim that he survives.”
In a written statement, the law firm called the incident “a tragic time for our BrownGreer family” and said it cannot comment on specifics.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with our employees who were the victims of this senseless violence,” the firm said, “especially our employee who is in the hospital with his family.”
