Police Chief Steve Drew shared more details about the investigation during a press conference on Monday afternoon, two days after the shooting.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The woman who was shot and killed by a Newport News police officer was on the phone with dispatchers during the deadly standoff early Saturday morning, the city's police chief said Monday afternoon.
Police Chief Steve Drew shared more details about the investigation during a press conference on Monday afternoon, two days after the shooting. He identified the victim as Monay Bonaparte, 38.
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According to Drew, the situation began when Bonaparte asked for a ride from Portsmouth to the Peninsula early Saturday morning.
A friend picked her up with another person in the car. Drew said at some point, Bonaparte became agitated and began speaking erratically in the car. He said she held the driver at gunpoint while telling him where to go — occasionally hitting him with the gun. She also ordered the passenger to get out of the car.
Drew said Bonaparte grabbed the steering wheel, causing the car to hit several other parked cars near 16th Street and Jebs Place in Newport News.
Bonaparte then got out of the car and ran, smashing into windows on her way. The driver drove to Hampton and called 911 and Drew says he sounded frantic and concerned.
Drew said half a dozen people called 911 to report gunshots in the Stuart Gardens area before officers arrived. Two others called 911 once officers arrived. Drew said the people in those phone calls were scared, not knowing what was happening and hearing gunshots and windows smashed.
When police showed up, they heard a gunshot themselves and found Bonaparte with a gun. Officers said she was in the courtyard with shrubbery around her, which made it hard to see. Drew said officers tried to de-escalate the situation for about 12 minutes, as they took up a protective stance behind shields.
Drew said Bonaparte called 911 herself and was making threats to officers about what she would do if they approached her and making threats about herself.
"When I listen to her own 911 tape, when I hear the back and forth from the officers trying to explain to her, but really the clearest is when she calls 911 herself, and I can hear in her voice just the rapid speech and just the... it's kind of hard to understand," Drew said.
Once she made the threats, that’s when the officer who fired the shot moved to get a better view.
"A better line of sight to Miss Bonaparte. In fact, that officer was one telling others, 'she's put the gun down, she's picked it back up, she's put the gun down, she's picked it back up.' You hear the officers again continuing to talk. At that point, Miss Bonaparte, according to the officer, points her firearm in his direction, and then he fired," said Drew.
Drew says they are still going through the body camera footage to confirm, though some of the video is obstructed by the protective shields the officers were using.
According to Drew, officers went over to help and she was taken to the hospital. Bonaparte ultimately died from her injuries. He said she had a gun matching the description of a stolen gun from Portsmouth with her.
Drew couldn't say how many shots were fired by the officer, but he said he thinks the officers did the best they could with the situation they were presented.
"When you have an individual that has already fired rounds off, that officers hear a round fired and their actions force us into a situation, you gotta remember, those officers didn't know what they were walking into. They've certainly got the calls that they heard, they hear the rounds when they get there, and now they're having a conversation," said Drew. "It would be my hope that Miss Bonaparte would've put that firearm down."
Drew said the officer who fired the shot is on administrative leave with pay until the investigation is complete.
"Any loss of life is tragic, regardless of the circ*mstances," he said.
Drew said evidence will be turned over to the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney, who will decide what the next steps are.
"There's actions that force us to defend ourselves and others and I wish we could've talked on and on, but her actions play a role in that. It's not just what the officers' actions are," he said. "I'm not placing any blame because I don't know what was going on in her heart or her mind. I don't know what she was going through, I just wish we didn't have a firearm injected into that situation."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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