Nearly six months after the apparent suicide of her brother after a chase involving ATF agents, Tonya Kirby still does not have the answers she wants.
“I know a suicide is hard to accept,” she said, “but there are too many questions.”
According to the official account of what happened during rush hour on July 5, 24-year-old Southeast resident Travis Lamar Hampton sideswiped the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents while he was in the area before being deployed to Iraq. The agents chased Hampton to the Glebe Road exit where they exchanged gunfire with him, setting off a gunbattle that ended on the 3200 block of 13th Street in Arlington. Here, Hampton engaged in a standoff with police from Arlington and Alexandria before taking his own life.
Law enforcement officials have not released ballistics reports on or pictures of the gun allegedly used by Hampton to commit suicide. Arlington police conducted an investigation into the incident and gave their report to the commonwealth attorney, who will decide whether charges will be filed, police spokesman John Lisle said.
Pictures of the car driven by Hampton in the chase show numerous bullet holes and what appears to be blood on the steering wheel and windshield. The back window of the car was shattered, and there were bullet holes in the vehicle’s trunk. Also, The Examiner learned that Hampton’s body showed signs of other injuries not consistent with a gunshot wound to the head, which is listed as the cause of death on the death certificate.
The Examiner also reported that the agents apparently violated federal law enforcement training guidelines for high-speed car chases.
Hampton has no history of violent crime. He served 30 days in prison for marijuana possession in 2002.
Many questions remain: Why had someone with no history of violent crime react so violently? When and will the findings of an Arlington County Police inquiry into the matter be made public? When will the family receive a copy of the autopsy report?
Without resolution of these questioned, Kirby said she cannot move on.
“We’re not getting any answers,” she said. “If it’s a suicide, it should be an open-and-shut case.”
