STAUNTON, VA (Rocktown Now) — The Staunton Branch of the NAACP announced it is closely following the investigation into the September 22 fatal shooting of 39-year-old Montique Treymayne Gaston of Portsmouth, by a Staunton Police Department officer at the Walmart on Richmond Avenue.

The Staunton police officer was not injured. In accordance with the department’s policy, the officer has been placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated.

Branch President Nadia Ware said in a release that, “we extend our sincere condolences to Mr. Gaston’s family and loved ones as they grieve his death.”

The Branch reports it recognizes that law-enforcement agencies appropriately withheld certain information initially while next-of-kin notifications were being completed. However, now that Gaston has been publicly identified, significant questions remain unanswered.

The Branch states that authorities have not publicly explained what precipitated the encounter, the sequence of events leading to the use of deadly force, or other basic circumstances surrounding the shooting. The Staunton Branch NAACP calls for a thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation and for the timely release of information necessary for Gaston’s family and the public to understand what occurred.

“Transparency is not the enemy of a fair investigation; it is essential to public confidence in one,” said Nadia Ware, President of the Staunton Branch NAACP. “Our community should not be asked to choose between a careful investigation and meaningful transparency. We need both.”

The Branch also calls for the preservation of all potentially relevant evidence, including body-worn camera footage, dash-camera footage if applicable, 911 and dispatch recordings, police radio communications, photographs, civilian recordings, and surveillance footage from Walmart and other nearby cameras or businesses.

The Branch alleged there were social media reports that indicated children may have been inside Gaston’s vehicle at the time of the shooting. The Staunton Branch has not independently verified those reports.

If they are accurate, the Branch states the presence of children raises additional serious questions concerning the circumstances surrounding the use of deadly force and the safety and well-being of the children and urges investigators to clarify whether children were present and, if so, to ensure that their privacy and interests are protected throughout the investigative process.

“We understand that an investigation takes time, and we will not speculate about evidence we have not seen,” said Dr. Amy Tillerson-Brown, Chair of the Staunton Branch NAACP Legal Redress Committee. “But an investigation taking time does not mean the community should be left without basic information indefinitely. A man died during an encounter with a Staunton police officer. His family and this community deserve to know what happened, and that answer must ultimately be grounded in evidence that can withstand public scrutiny.”

The Staunton Branch Legal Redress Committee reports it will continue to monitor developments as additional verified information becomes available. The Branch encourages anyone who witnessed the incident or who possesses photographs, recordings, or other firsthand information to preserve that material and provide it to the appropriate investigating authorities.

Individuals who believe they have information raising civil-rights concerns related to the incident may also contact the Staunton Branch NAACP through its established Legal Redress complaint process.

The Staunton Branch NAACP states it respects the investigative process. It added that at the same time, the exercise of deadly force by law enforcement carries profound consequences for families and communities and requires careful scrutiny, and that accountability begins with establishing the facts, preserving the evidence, and providing the public with a clear accounting of what occurred.