ROANOKE, Va. – Officers who shot and killed a man in Roanoke this June have been officially cleared.
We previously reported on this case on June 8, when police shot and killed 41-year-old Travis Martin, of Roanoke, after he attempted to attack officers with a hatchet.
Here’s a timeline of the events that happened on the day of the shooting, as reported by the Commonwealth’s Attorney:
- On June 8 at 8:30 a.m. An officer with the Roanoke Police Department saw a man drive past the police department, shouting threats toward officers who were outside of police headquarters
- At about 8:45 a.m., the suspect called 911 and threatened to kill all Roanoke police officers and 911 dispatchers. He called back at 8:47 a.m. with more threats
- Shortly after, officers determined that the suspect who called them was 41-year-old Travis Martin, the same man they saw drive past the police department
- At about 11:39 a.m., RPD officers were called to Goldside Avenue in Roanoke City for a damaged Salem Police vehicle, which had damage to the rear passenger taillight. Martin was also involved in this incident
- It was soon discovered that the Roanoke County Police Department had issues with Martin the previous day, and a photograph of Martin standing outside a convenience store holding a hatchet or machete was shared with Roanoke Police
- At 1:53 p.m., Martin’s car was captured by a license plate reader on Hershberger Road headed east. All RPD units on duty at that time were alerted and officers then located his vehicle in the Valley View Mall area. Police then followed him away from Valley View Mall, then northbound on I-581 where he took the westbound Hershberger Road exit. He continued on Hershberger Road past Ordway Drive near Shell, but as he was approached the intersection of Hershberger and Ferncliff Drive, Martin slammed on his brakes, causing the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop. The officer behind him was unable to bring his vehicle to a stop in time and hit the rear of Martin’s vehicle, causing the airbag to deploy.
- Once the officer hit the back of Martin’s vehicle, Martin immediately jumped out of his car armed with a hatchet and rushed toward one of the officer’s vehicle with a hatchet, prompting an officer to begin firing. Martin then charged at the officer with the hatchet and the officer continued to shoot at Martin, shooting him in his upper body
- Another officer who was at the scene began firing as well
- Martin died as a result of his injuries
On Sept. 26, Roanoke Commonwealth’s Attorney, Donald Caldwell, ruled that criminal charges would not need to be placed against the Roanoke Police officers involved based on the evidence found in the investigation.
He said he reviewed the written police reports, 911 calls officer body-cams, in-car cameras, witness statements, and forensic reports and visited the scene where the shooting happened. He also met and reviewed the case with lead investigators.
Ultimately, he concluded that Martin’s actions placed both officers in a position where they reasonably believed that they were facing a threat of death or serious bodily injury. He said their actions in resorting to deadly force at that time were justified.