Good Samaritan comforts victim of fatal shooting until his final breath

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Inspiring new details emerged following a shooting on German School Road that ended in a crash and left a man dead.

A good Samaritan approached the dying man in his car, talked to him, and provided comfort until he took his last breath.

“At least somebody was there. That matters. Ain’t nobody wants to die alone,” Racquan Hazelwood said.

Hazelwood says what he witnessed Tuesday afternoon is something no one can prepare for.

“He basically ran up on the median, lost control and swerved out, spun maybe two or three times,” Hazelwood said.

The car then crashed into a nearby pole.

“Kind of put me in shock; it was crazy. I’ve never really seen nothing like that before,” Hazelwood said.

What Hazelwood didn’t yet know was the driver had just been shot while in his car at a nearby intersection on Jahnke Road.

“I was the first one walking to the car, so I call 911, and I noticed bullet holes in the side of it,” he said. “So, I’m talking to him just to make sure he’s okay.”

Hazelwood says he saw a glimmer of his own reflection in the victim’s eyes and decided to stay by his side.

“It was a young guy, young Black dude about my age, for real,” he said. “He said, ‘I’m about to die, man. I’m about to die,’ and I just wanted to comfort him.”

Hazelwood stayed on the phone with 911 and tried to reassure him everything would be okay.

“I’m telling him, ‘the ambulance is on the way, I already called it, just stay with us,’” he said.

Hazelwood says the man passed away before EMTs and police arrived.

“I, at least, wanted him to know that help was on the way because I could tell he was scared,” he said. “If anything, I felt he had somebody when he died, and he didn’t die alone, you know?”

Hazelwood says even though he didn’t know the victim, he will feel connected to him forever.

“It just made me realize how quick life can go; that’s all I’ve been thinking about,” he said. “I thought about his face...I couldn’t get it out of my mind all night last night.”

“This violence gotta stop, man, you know, all this gun violence gotta stop,” Hazelwood said.

Hazelwood says the family of the victim has gotten in touch with him to get some closure, but Richmond police have not made an arrest yet or released the victim’s name.

If you know anything, call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.

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