Police officers honored for dismantling gang responsible for death of Richmond teen

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — As of 2023, the killers of a 15-year-old Richmond girl have been convicted and sentenced and are currently serving lengthy prison sentences.

The 2022 murder of Tynashia Humphrey in Richmond's Jackson Ward helped Richmond and Henrico police cripple a violent local gang.

On September 12, 2022, Tynashia was walking home from a store when she was shot and killed – an innocent teenager who was caught in the crossfire during a drive-by shooting.

During the murder investigation, detectives identified and charged five members of a local Henrico-based gang, the 30 Boys.

Prosecutor Katy Groover was able to secure convictions – all totaling more than 200 years in prison.

“We got two life sentences and plea deals for the other three,” Groover said.

Information obtained in the Humphrey homicide case would lead detectives and officers from the Henrico and Richmond gang units to a door that would help them solve several more violent cases.

“While executing search warrants, a gang member fired several shots at officers who were breaking down a door,” an officer said.

However, the information did not come easily.

“It's huge. I think a lot of people think gang violence comes from well-known gangs like the Bloods or the Crips, but that's not what we see in small towns like ours,” he said. Groover said. “We see a lot of local street criminal gangs with members ages 14 to 35 and they are the most violent. When they get into these gangs, they become extremely loyal and depend on each other for protection and they use this as a threatening mechanism for those who threaten them.

At a recent awards ceremony at Hermitage High School in Henrico, officers and detectives involved in the takedown received the Silver Star Award – the second highest honor given in law enforcement.

CBS 6 won't name the recipients because of their secret status, but Groover says the main takeaway is how many lives were saved because the 30 Boys gang was severely crippled to the point of extinction.

“At this point, we’ve almost eliminated them,” Groover said.

Despite this, RPD Chief Rick Edwards says the work and partnership with regional agencies continues – with the hope of less violence and safer streets.

“Crime has no borders and we love working with Henrico and our area partners. When we work together, we can move mountains,” Edwards said.

And those mountains can sometimes be steep when it comes to ending investigations while obtaining information about those involved, as police try to bring closure to grieving families experiencing violence.

Count on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email [email protected] to submit a tip.

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