Police chief defends Va. officers in shooting

By Amanda Codispoti
Roanoke Times

ROANOKE, Va. — Roanoke police were called to Robert Douglas Mattox's apartment three times Sunday before they shot him during a fourth call when he came at them with a knife, police Chief Joe Gaskins said Monday.

Mattox, 51, was in critical condition Monday, said Allie Buth, a spokeswoman for Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. A previous newspaper report spelled his last name as Maddox.

The shooting left Mattox's roommate and friends wondering why police didn't take him into custody earlier in the day, and whether the officers did everything they could to avoid using their guns.

Gaskins identified the two officers who fired at Mattox as B.J. Smith and D.K. Moore. Smith has been with the department for three years, and Moore for five and a half.

They and a third officer were not injured and are on administrative leave, which is standard after an officer-involved shooting.Continue reading