Man who died in Henrico police custody allegedly ‘smothered’ to death and more Va. headlines

• Prosecutors said in court Wednesday that 28-year-old Irvo Otieno, who died in the custody of Henrico County sheriff’s deputies as he was being checked into a mental health facility, was “smothered” to death. In a statement, the local police union said its members “stand behind” the seven deputies charged with second-degree murder.—Richmond Times-Dispatch, CNN

• “Deaths of American children and teens spiked between 2019 and 2021, the result of increased car wrecks, shootings and drug overdoses, according to a Virginia Commonwealth University survey of federal data published Monday.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• A juvenile was charged after eight horses were found shot in Appomattox County. Five were killed.—News & Advance

• The next court hearing for Del. Matt Fariss, a Republican lawmaker accused of deliberately hitting a woman with his SUV and leaving the scene, has been pushed back to mid-May.—Cardinal News

• The Roanoke County school system reversed a new policy requiring all books to get a written review from a librarian or teacher before being added to school libraries, a change librarians said required an enormous amount of work.—Roanoke Times