State police special agent stabbed; suspect shot in Richmond serial stabbing investigation

RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia State Police special agent and a serial stabbing suspect were seriously injured following a confrontation on Richmond's Southside Saturday afternoon, Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards confirmed at a news conference.

The incident began around 1:30 a.m. when officers were called to the 200 block of East Marshall Street for reports of a man sleeping on a bench being stabbed, Edwards said. That victim, a homeless man, was stabbed in the chest and suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, Crime Insider sources told Jon Burkett. He was transported to a local hospital.

In the course of that investigation, the Capital City Intelligence Center used license plate readers and cameras in the area to identify a vehicle and person of interest, Edwards said.

SCENE VIDEO: Person stabbed to death in downtown Richmond, sources say

Then four and a half hours later and about two city blocks away, another homeless man was found with stab wounds in the 200 block of East Cary Street around 6:10 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Edwards said the two cases had not yet been directly linked at that stage of the investigation, but detectives took into account the proximity of the two scenes, the similar circumstances and the weapon used.

Richmond Police contacted the U.S. Marshals Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force to help locate the suspect.

"We didn't have warrants on him relating to the stabbing, but he had other warrants from Henrico County that we could arrest him on. He was a person of interest in those two stabbings," Edwards said.

NEWS CONFERENCE: Police chief details serial stabbing investigation and shooting

US Marshals located the suspect and the vehicle police had been searching for at the 1800 block of Everett Street at 3:35 p.m.

The state police special agent, who is a member of the U.S. Marshals Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, was stabbed trying to arrest the suspect. That agent returned fire and the suspect was hit multiple times, according to a state police spokesperson.

"That Fugitive Task Force encountered that same individual... They approached him," Edwards said. "One of the Task Force officers was stabbed and he also discharged his firearm."

Both the suspect and the special agent were taken to an area hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, according to state police.

A second Task Force officer, who was also injured during the confrontation, was transported to another hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, police said.

Sources told Burkett that the officer suffered a graze wound from a bullet that ricocheted.

Virginia State Police will lead the investigation into the use of force by the special agent, while Richmond Police will continue investigating the stabbings.

A state police spokesperson said the special agent has been placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated, which is standard policy.

SCENE VIDEO: US Marshals shoot serial stabbing suspect in Richmond

Edwards also addressed questions circulating about the nature of the incident.

"One of the questions we're getting is, is this ICE related? I can confirm that it's not," Edwards said.

The suspect's name and photo had not yet been released as of the news conference. Edwards said police had been preparing to release that information for public safety purposes, but with the suspect now hospitalized, that release will come at a later date.

"He is known to law enforcement, but I'm not prepared to talk about his criminal history at this time," Edwards said.

The motive for the stabbings remains unclear. Edwards said investigators hope to speak with the suspect once he has received the medical treatment he needs.

If you have information that could help detectives, call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000 or submit a tip online at https://rvacrimestoppers.org. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smartphones may also be used. All three Crime Stoppers methods of contact are anonymous.

This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.