Virginia police kill black man, officer wounded

[August 07, 2015]  (Reuters) - Police in Richmond, Virginia, are investigating the death of a black man who was killed in a shootout with a white officer, a spokesman said on Thursday.

The shooting death occurred late on Wednesday when the victim, identified as Keshawn Hargrove, 20, of Richmond, fired on officers and refused to drop his gun, said police spokesman Gene Lepley.

The incident was the latest in a series of fatal police confrontations across the United States that has raised questions about police use of force against minorities.

The two officers involved in the shooting have been identified as Ryan Bailey, who is black, and Jacob DeBoard, who is white, Lepley said.

"This was not a racially charged incident," Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham said at a news conference.

Police responded to a report of a man with a gun around 5:30 p.m., Lepley said. Hargrove ran while firing his gun at the two officers, hitting Bailey in the arm.

DeBoard pursued and exchanged gunfire with Hargrove, who was killed. Pending ballistics results, it is not known which officer hit Hargrove.

Bailey suffered non-life threatening injuries, Lepley said. Both officers are on administrative leave and the investigation is ongoing.

The incident was the latest in a string of deaths of black men at the hands of police in the past year, including in Ferguson, Missouri; New York; and North Charleston, South Carolina.

(Refiles to add dropped word "said" in 2nd paragraph)

(Reporting by John Clarke in Washington; Editing by Ian Simpson and Sandra Maler)

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