LYNCHBURG, VA. (WDBJ) – A Lynchburg police officer is on reduced duty following a shooting Thursday night that killed a dog.
Police say they were called to the 100 block on Holcomb Path Road shortly after 9 p.m. on Feb.25 to check a person’s welfare. According to police, a man locked himself in the house with multiple weapons, which caused the Crisis Negotiation Team and the Tactical Unit to react.
Police said the officers spent several hours talking to the man and trying to de-escalate the situation, but he did not allow the officers to take him into custody. After determining that he did not appear to be armed, the officers tried to detain him while he was lying on a bed. When officers approached him, the man “abruptly moved a hand to a hidden location” and prompted an officer to fire a shot at him.
The shot hit and killed a dog sitting on top of the man. The man still refused to cooperate with orders from officers to use a taser to arrest him, according to police. He was taken to a hospital for a mental health assessment.
The Lynchburg Police Department requested the Virginia State Police to investigate the official’s shooting for possible criminal charges.
The Lynchburg Police Department is also conducting an internal investigation. In accordance with the LPD Directive, the officer concerned was transferred to a restricted service. Police say, “As is our practice, the LPD will publish the name of the officer concerned within seven days pending the results of a threat assessment.”
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