Who was killed
| Recorded race | Killed by police | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White | 136 | 0.0% |
| Black | 93 | 0.0% |
| Unknown race | 37 | 0.0% |
| Hispanic | 13 | 0.0% |
| Asian | 4 | 0.0% |
| Native American;Hispanic | 1 | 0.0% |
| Black;Hispanic | 1 | 0.0% |
Recorded by Mapping Police Violence from public reporting and official sources. Where race was not established it is recorded as not recorded, and that category is shown rather than removed.
What the person was recorded as armed with
| Recorded as armed with | Killed by police |
|---|
Agencies in Virginia with enough records to report
Only agencies recorded in at least 12 incidents are given their own page. Most of the 4,641 agencies in the database appear once or twice, and a page built on one or two incidents would say nothing.
| Agency | Type | Killed by police | Body camera on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia State Police | 20 | 0.0% | |
| Norfolk Police Department | 17 | 27.3% | |
| Virginia Beach Police Department | 14 | 8.3% | |
| Richmond Police Department | 13 | 50.0% |
Where a complaint goes in Virginia
A complaint normally goes first to the agency's own internal affairs division. Larger cities may also have a civilian review board or independent monitor. The Office of the Attorney General, Virginia can investigate patterns of misconduct, and the federal Department of Justice can open a pattern-or-practice investigation.
A civil claim for a violation of constitutional rights is usually brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Deadlines are set by Virginia law, not federal law, and they are strict.
How people were killed
| Cause of death | Deaths | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Gunshot | 271 | 95.1% |
| Taser | 5 | 1.8% |
| Gunshot, Taser | 3 | 1.1% |
| Physical Restraint | 2 | 0.7% |
| Vehicle | 2 | 0.7% |
| Beaten | 1 | 0.4% |
| Gunshot, Pepper Spray | 1 | 0.4% |
Where more than one means is recorded for the same death, both appear in the combined category rather than being counted twice.
Were any officers charged
Of the 285 deaths recorded in Virginia, 15 led to a criminal charge against an officer, 5.3% of them. In 270 there is no known charge.
| Outcome where a charge was brought | Cases |
|---|---|
| Convicted, or pleaded guilty | 5 |
| Acquitted | 3 |
| Charges dropped | 2 |
| Charged, outcome not recorded | 5 |
Share a finding about Virginia
Every statement here is generated from the published figures by code. None of it is written by a person or produced by a language model, and each one carries its source and its period so you can check it before you pass it on.
Virginia appears in 285 deaths across 14 years of the database. The highest single year was 2024, with 33.
Source: Mapping Police Violence, 2013 to 2026. Figures as published; see the tables on this page for the full denominators.
Virginia policing in the news
The five most recent reports mentioning this force, collected automatically. Headlines and links belong to the publishers named. We do not edit, summarise or endorse them, and inclusion here does not imply any finding against anyone.
- Female Officer Sues Virginia Police Department After Locker Room Incident With 'Transgender' Recruit
- City of Norfolk, police chief sued over transgender locker room incident
- Judge tosses veterinarian’s lawsuit over Virginia Beach police’s hold of $1 million in seized assets
- Virginia State Police Move to Dismiss GOA and VCDL Gun Ban Lawsuit, Attacking Standing and Defending the Ban on the Merits
- Lawsuit against Virginia Beach police chief, former detective, and City of Virginia Beach dismissed
Data last refreshed , covering 2013 to 2026. Every figure on this page is recomputed from the source datasets, not edited by hand. Found something wrong? Tell us.