Police identify domestic assault suspect killed by officer

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Authorities in Virginia have identified an assault suspect who was shot and killed by police.

Virginia Police said Tuesday in a statement that he was 43-year-old Michael James Murphy of Norfolk. Police are not identifying the officer involved. They said the officer and the man who died are white.

Virginia Beach police told The Virginian-Pilot that witnesses saw Murphy assault a woman early Tuesday in the hallway of an apartment complex before fleeing with a gun.

Officers were able to track him down. Police said Murphy did not comply with commands to drop the gun and pointed it at police. An officer then shot him.

Police said the assaulted woman was hospitalized. The commonwealth’s attorney, internal affairs and homicide unit are investigating.

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com