In the late afternoon sun of a September day, tragedy struck in a Richmond, Virginia neighborhood, forever altering the lives of one family. On September 26, 2021, Richmond Police were called to the 1300 block of Coalter Street around 4:54 p.m. following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered a man lying with an apparent gunshot wound.
The man, identified as 38-year-old Rishard Watkins, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The sudden and violent nature of his death left the community in shock. An investigation into the shooting was promptly launched by the Richmond Police Department's Major Crimes detectives. The Medical Examiner was tasked with determining the official cause and manner of death. In the immediate aftermath, authorities reached out to the public for assistance, urging anyone with information regarding the homicide to come forward and contact detectives or Crime Stoppers.
As the investigation commenced, the personal details of Rishard Watkins' life emerged. He was a resident of Richmond, and his passing left behind a grieving family, including his devoted mother, father, two sons, and a brother, along with a host of other relatives and friends. The case remains a painful memory for those who knew him, and the search for answers and justice in his untimely death continues. To date, there has been no publicly available information regarding any arrests or identified suspects in the homicide of Rishard Watkins.
