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Amity Jo Grey

Age : 47

Gender : Female

Race : White

Date : 11/06/2021

Location : Interstate 664 at Route 58

City : Chesapeake

County : Suffolk

State : Virginia

Agency : Virginia State Police; Newport News Police Department

Officer(s) :Paul Perry

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Newport News Police attempted to stop the Chevrolet Cobalt after an incident at a convenience store where police alleged driver Brian Michael Price assaulted a cashier and appeared intoxicated. Police were investigating suspected aggravated assault, abduction and impaired driving. Price continued driving away onto Interstate 664, where Virginia State Police joined the pursuit and Trooper Paul Perry became the primary pursuing officer.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/06/2021, shortly before 5 p.m., Newport News Police attempted to stop the Chevrolet Cobalt in which 47-year-old Amity Jo Grey was a passenger. Price continued driving away and police escalated a pursuit onto Interstate 664 toward Suffolk. Virginia State Police took over the pursuit, with Trooper Paul Perry becoming the primary pursuing officer. State Police reported that the Chevrolet did not exceed the posted speed limit during the interstate pursuit.
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The later prosecutor's investigation established that police terminated and then re-engaged the pursuit because of traffic-safety concerns. During the pursuit, Grey opened the passenger door and appeared to attempt to get out of the moving Chevrolet. At another point, an officer drove alongside the vehicle and Grey communicated with the officer about children being kidnapped. The prosecutor subsequently concluded that Price appeared to be keeping Grey in the vehicle against her will.
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Perry attempted to block the Chevrolet during the pursuit. According to the prosecutor's reconstruction, Price struck Perry's State Police vehicle several times. Near the Route 58 exit, Perry's patrol vehicle and the Chevrolet made contact, sending both vehicles off the roadway in opposite directions. The Chevrolet traveled down an embankment and overturned among trees. Grey was killed in the crash.
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Price survived the rollover and left the wreck on foot. Perry located him minutes later near the Route 58 underpass and pursued him on foot. Perry subsequently shot and killed Price during an encounter that prosecutors later ruled self-defense.
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Grey, known to her family as “Ami,” was from Newport News and was in a relationship with Price. Her family said the couple were in love and planning to marry. Her former stepmother, Lynn Teravainen, subsequently became a public spokesperson for Grey's family as they sought answers about the circumstances that culminated in her death.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 1 Officer Injury.
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EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Grey's family publicly challenged the lack of information surrounding the pursuit and said they had “more questions than answers.” Teravainen said the family wanted to know what triggered the chase, whether Grey herself had sought police assistance, and what happened inside the Chevrolet before the fatal crash.
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DISPOSITION:
The Chesapeake Commonwealth's Attorney reviewed Trooper Paul Perry's shooting of Price and ruled it justified self-defense. Perry was not criminally charged for shooting Price or for his role in the pursuit and vehicle contact that preceded the rollover in which Grey was killed.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Virginia State Police initially withheld the pursuing trooper's identity. The subsequent prosecutor's investigation identified him as Trooper Paul Perry. Perry became the primary pursuing trooper, attempted to block the Chevrolet during the pursuit, was involved in the vehicle contact preceding Grey's fatal rollover, pursued Price on foot after the crash and fired the three shots that killed him. Perry was not wearing a body camera during the fatal encounter with Price.
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LITIGATION:
None found.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/brian-michael-price-man-fatally-shot-by-trooper-had-mental-illness-history
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/brian-price-shooting-death-trooper-paul-perry-august-26-2022
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/Brian-Price-and-Amity-Jo-Grey-obit
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person/victim/5ff46980/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/chesapeake-grey-richmond-newport-news-georgia-b1956833.html