Police say man shot himself during chase, crowds protest

Published March 01, 2016

Virginia State Police say they're investigating after a man was shot and killed while being chased by Winchester police.

Authorities say he shot himself but witnesses dispute that.

In a news release, police say officers responding to a report of a fight Sunday afternoon found two people who then fled. Police say 20-year-old D'Londre Minifield stopped and fired a gun as officers approached, dying from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police say no officers opened fire.

Minifield's body was taken to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy.

Media outlets and police report that about 100 people gathered Monday at a protest including some who challenged the police department's version of events.

Eighteen-year-old Quay Pannell told The Winchester Star (http://bit.ly/1QpclFM ) he was traveling in a car about 50 yards away and saw a police officer aiming a gun at Minifield and said the gun went off. Twenty-four-year-old Kayla Friesen says she saw police shoot Minifield as he was about to climb a fence.

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Information from: The Winchester Star, http://www.winchesterstar.com

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