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Shawn Alan Smith

Age : 52

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 11/26/2021

Location : 4900 block Lantern St

City : Roanoke

County : Roanoke

State : Virginia

Agency : Roanoke County Police Department

Officer(s) :Matthew W. Jennings

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during domestic dispute call

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 11/26/2021, Roanoke County Police Department Officer Matthew W. Jennings shot and killed Shawn Alan Smith, 52, outside Smith's home in the 4900 block of Lantern Street in the North Lakes area of Roanoke County. Police had been summoned after Smith began experiencing a mental health crisis and threatened suicide.
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Smith's wife, Lisa Smith, left the home and sought help from a neighbor. Police responded, and officers took her to a magistrate to obtain an Emergency Custody Order requiring law enforcement to transport Smith to LewisGale Medical Center for psychiatric evaluation. The order was issued at approximately 7:49 p.m.
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Police established a perimeter around Smith's home and made repeated attempts to communicate with him by telephone and loudspeaker. Police had been informed that Smith possessed a handgun and had threatened suicide. Smith eventually came outside before returning to the residence.
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According to the subsequent Commonwealth's Attorney review, Smith later emerged from the house holding a handgun. Police alleged that Smith moved toward Jennings while armed and did not comply with commands. Jennings fired twice, fatally striking Smith.
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Later federal civil-rights litigation presented a substantially more contested account of the final encounter. Smith's estate challenged whether Jennings reasonably faced an imminent threat when he fired and alleged that police mishandled a known mental health crisis despite having obtained an Emergency Custody Order specifically intended to secure psychiatric treatment for Smith.
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Roanoke County Commonwealth's Attorney Brian Holohan reviewed the police investigation and announced on 04/08/2022 that Jennings would not face criminal charges. Holohan concluded that Jennings reasonably feared death or serious injury and that his use of deadly force was legally justified. A separate Roanoke County Police Department Professional Standards Unit investigation concluded that Jennings complied with department policy.
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Smith's wife subsequently filed a federal civil-rights and wrongful-death lawsuit against Jennings, Roanoke County and other defendants. The litigation alleged excessive force and challenged the police response to Smith's mental health crisis. In June 2023, a federal judge allowed significant portions of the litigation to proceed.
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In September 2024, the federal court denied Jennings' motion for summary judgment on the claims against him, finding sufficient factual disputes for a jury to resolve concerning the fatal shooting. The court granted summary judgment to Roanoke County on the separate municipal-liability claim but left the claims against Jennings for trial.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Matthew W. Jennings was identified through the subsequent federal litigation as the Roanoke County Police Department officer who shot and killed Smith. The Commonwealth's Attorney declined criminal charges and the department's internal review found his actions within policy. Smith's estate subsequently pursued federal civil-rights litigation against Jennings, and in 2024 a federal judge denied his request for summary judgment, allowing the claims against him to proceed.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.roanokecountyva.gov/CivicAlerts.asp?AID=4359&ARC=5921
https://www.wsls.com/news/2021/11/27/roanoke-county-police-at-scene-of-officer-involved-shooting/
https://wfirnews.com/news/roanoke-county-exonerates-officer-after-november-shooting
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/virginia/vawdce/7%3A2022cv00588/126590/56/
https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/66da855fc312b31e38e4d5a3
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nwitimes/name/shawn-smith-obituary?id=31794066