NORFOLK, Va. - A man has been charged following an officer-involved shooting that took place on Granby Street over the weekend.
Norfolk Police responded to a report of a person with a weapon in the 100 block of Granby Street late Saturday night around 10:30 p.m.
When officers arrived, they encountered a man armed with a handgun. Police said two officers fired their guns, injuring the man. It’s unclear what led to the shooting.
A firearm was recovered at the scene. No officers were injured.
Tuesday, Norfolk detectives charged 34-year-old Barry D. Carrington Jr. of Norfolk with two counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling and discharging a firearm in public.
Emotions are still running high for some who live and work on Granby Street following Saturday night’s shooting.
“We’re all a little concerned,” said Dave Breen of Norfolk. “There’s been several shootings downtown here over the last couple of months and even in the recent last couple of weeks. We live downtown; we work downtown. We’re concerned about it.”
The disturbing scene happened on the sidewalk outside Grace O’Malley’s Irish Pub.
Dave and Deborah Breen were home about a block away when gunshots rang out, creating panic and confusion for many on a busy and packed street.
Three bullets hit the front of Grace O’Malley’s, where about 100 people were inside.
“We had some friends over and we heard the gunshots, so my friend and I went to the balcony,” said Deborah Breen. “We then heard the police. We heard about six or seven gunshots.”
The owner of Grace O’Malley’s didn’t want to speak on camera but told News 3 their security team did everything right. They saw what was happening outside. Then, they yelled for everyone inside to get down and quickly moved people who were sitting in booths near the front of the pub seconds before the bullets came through.
Thankfully, no one was hurt.
It’s Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi’s job to look at the facts and decide if the shooting was justified.
“I was very concerned,” Fatehi said. “Any time the police have to fire their guns, something has happened that is serious, and the public is going to want to know.”
Fatehi said he came to the scene that night to personally get a first-hand account of what happened.
When it comes to transparency, he said Norfolk Police brought in an outside agency – Virginia State Police - to do a full investigation into why the officers pulled the trigger, rather than investigating themselves.
Bringing in an outside agency is something Fatehi said isn’t standard practice.
“The one thing that gives me a lot of confidence in this process is that the Norfolk Police Department has a standing agreement not to investigate itself,” he said. “That is not common in Virginia.”
State Police will send its findings to Fatehi once it finishes its investigation - a process he said could take months.
Ultimately, it’ll be up to the Commonwealth’s Attorney to determine if the officers will face charges.
“If the police do wrong and they commit a crime, it is my job to indict them,” said Fatehi. “I hold myself to that pledge. I also said, and continue to pledge, that when the police do right, even if what they have done appears to be unpopular or controversial, it is my job as the administer of justice, to explain why the police did right.”
The two officers involved in the incident are now on administrative duty.
Carrington is currently being held without bond.
Fatehi is asking a neighboring city to handle the charges against that man shot by the two officers, saying he is "not allowed both to decide whether a Norfolk Police shooting is justified and also prosecute the criminal case against the man they shot."
