State authorities in Virginia will investigate an encounter captured on body camera that appears to show a police officer threatening to execute a Black Army officer during a traffic stop, officials said Sunday.
The announcement from the Virginia State Police came after Gov. Ralph Northam said he was "angered" by the incident, which occurred on Dec. 5 on a road about 30 miles west of downtown Norfolk.
Our commonwealth has done important work on police reform, but we must keep working to ensure that Virginians are safe during interactions with police, the enforcement of laws is fair and equitable, and people are held accountable," he said.
Northam added that he would invite the U.S. Army officer, Lt. Caron Nazario, for a meeting to discuss police reform.
In a statement, a state police spokeswoman said the department's superintendent had been in touch with the governor and Rodney Riddle, the police chief of Windsor, where the confrontation occurred.
"At Chief Riddle's request and the Governor's directive, the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation is initiating a thorough and objective criminal investigation into the Dec. 5, 2020 traffic stop conducted by the Windsor police officers," she said.