Driver dies in Norfolk hospital after being shot by police

NORFOLK

A woman died after she was shot by a police officer and taken to a hospital on Saturday evening.

Police identified her early Sunday as Tynisha J. Townsend, 22, of the 200 block of West Bay Ave.

Police were called to an apartment complex in the 200 block of West Bay shortly after 5 p.m. after receiving a report of a woman who was brandishing a hammer, said police spokesman Chris Amos.

An officer was trying to arrest her on a felony warrant for domestic assault, found her seated in a parked car and approached the vehicle, Amos said. He reached his hand through the window to attempt to detain her, he said. Townsend bit the officer and rolled up the window of the car, trapping the officer’s arm inside the car, he said.

Amos said Townsend then began to accelerate the car, pulling the officer into the middle of West Bay Avenue in front of The Gates of West Bay apartment complex. The officer fired his gun and hit her, and she was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital with life-threatening injuries, he said.

Police did not release the name of the officer, who was treated for the bite and minor scrapes.

Pilot writer Patrick Wilson contributed to this story.