HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — A man is in custody after barricading himself, two children and another adult in his home while armed with a gun early Friday morning.
Omar Worthan, 29, reportedly discharged a firearm and hit a neighbor’s home in the 300 block of South 14th Avenue. He was charged with felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and misdemeanor discharging of a firearm within city limits.
Police arrived at the armed barricade situation shortly after 4:15 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 25, where the Crisis Negotiation Team and the Special Weapons and Tactics Team worked to negotiate a peaceful resolution for around two hours before Worthan was taken into custody.
“I was woken by several gunshots,” said Raymond Stanley, a resident in the area.
Stanley said he had to leave his house as part of an evacuation that occurred as police were negotiating with Worthan.
“A policeman knocked on my bedroom window in the backyard,” Stanley recalled. “Said I needed to leave the premises because there may be a problem with shooting and I may get hit.”
Another neighbor, Karen Thompson, said she was paralyzed with fear after she first heard the sounds of gunfire.
“What I heard last night really scared me,” she said. “That’s like not normal for this area, and I didn’t even go out. I saw so many lights that way.”
Thompson said she believes this situation and others like it to be an indication of declining mental health throughout the city.
“I don’t know the mindset of someone, and it just brings awareness to mental health. We really need to focus on it,” Thompson said. “That person could snatch me or my dog.”
Worthan is currently being held at Riverside Regional Jail.
Police continue to investigate the incident and encourage anyone with information to contact the Hopewell Criminal Investigations Unit at 804-541-2284.
