Virginia police identify suspect fatally shot by officer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Police in Virginia have identified a man fatally shot by officers while fleeing from police after a reported sexual assault and robbery in the area.

Police say they received a 911 call on Friday afternoon from a house on Riverside Avenue in Charlottesville reporting the sexual assault and armed robbery of a 72-year-old woman. She was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

When officers arrived in the area, they saw a man fitting the description of the suspect on the Rivanna Trail. Police say as the officers approached, the man ran into the river and pointed a gun toward the officers, who opened fire and struck him.

Police have identified the man as 42-year-old J.C. Hawkins of Charlottesville. Police say a handgun was found at the scene.

Virginia State Police are investigating the shooting.

No officers were injured. Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, says the officers are white and the suspect was black.