Heartbreak and chaos collided Thursday evening at the Belt Atlantic Apartments in South Richmond, where 31-year-old Jazmin Wooten-Mitchell was shot and killed during a confrontation with police. Family, friends, and neighbors are now mourning a woman they say was already drowning in grief after losing the father of one of her children just a day earlier.
Richmond Police said officers were called to the apartment complex in the 4000 block of Midlothian Turnpike around 6:47 p.m. for reports of gunfire. According to investigators, officers heard additional shots as they arrived and were directed upstairs inside the building, where they encountered Wooten-Mitchell holding a firearm.
Police Chief Rick Edwards said officers repeatedly ordered her to drop the weapon before one officer fired. Wooten-Mitchell was struck and pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said a firearm was recovered nearby, and no officers or residents were injured during the encounter.
For many who knew her, the shooting came after what appeared to be a devastating emotional spiral. Just hours before the deadly encounter, Wooten-Mitchell, who often went by “Sally Sally” on Facebook, posted emotional messages online mourning the death of Larry Johnson, the father of one of her children.
Johnson, 35, had died the previous day after a violent crash in the 5200 block of Warwick Road. Authorities said he was riding in a vehicle that slammed into a tree. Police later arrested 34-year-old William Sumner Jr., accusing him of leaving the scene before officers arrived. He now faces a felony hit-and-run charge.
Friends said Wooten-Mitchell was struggling deeply with the sudden loss. Her social media posts painted the picture of a woman overwhelmed by grief, confusion, and emotional pain. Those messages quickly spread online after news of the shooting broke, leading many people to question whether the deadly encounter may have been tied to a mental health crisis.
Investigators have not officially confirmed what led to the confrontation inside the apartment complex or whether Wooten-Mitchell fired at officers before she was killed. The Richmond Police Department said the investigation remains active. The officer involved has been placed on paid administrative leave while detectives and prosecutors review the case, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.
As news spread across Richmond, loved ones gathered online and in person to remember Wooten-Mitchell as a devoted mother and a woman who had been carrying unbearable emotional weight in her final days. A fundraiser has since been launched to help cover funeral expenses and support her family as they try to process two tragic deaths in less than 48 hours.
