The Virginia State Police were asked by local law enforcement agencies to investigate an officer involved shooting incident that occurred on Monday, June 17 in the Ridgeway area of Henry County.
Monday, June 17. He is flanked by Martinsville Police Chief Rob Fincher (left) and a Virginia
State Trooper.
According to Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis, the incident occurred Monday when the U.S. Marshals Service and officers from Henry County and the City of Martinsville tried to serve an outstanding warrant on Timothy Brian Howell, 43, who was wanted on charges of malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the March 2 shooting of Shannon Edward Bryan, 51, at 5269 Mitchell Road, Ridgeway.
Since then, the sheriff’s office, in conjunction with their counterparts in the city and the United States Marshals Service, had been searching for Howell, Davis said.
Howell was located last week at a camper at 805 Wright Road, in Ridgeway, the sheriff said Monday during a press conference held after officers attempted to serve the warrant.
Davis alleged the wanted man turned aggressive soon after the officers arrived at the scene, which was described as rural, with poor radio and cell reception.
“This was an extremely rural area, and the officers were professionals from the very beginning to the end,” Martinsville Police Chief Rob Fincher said at the joint press conference.
Once at the camper, officers announced themselves, and a weapon was subsequently pointed toward them. As a result, officers fired their weapons, striking the suspect multiple times.
“The officers immediately started performing life-saving measures that I am certain saved this individual’s life today,” Fincher said.
Howell was airlifted and was reportedly in stable condition, Davis said.
Authorities said numerous firearms, as well as suspected methamphetamine, were located in the camper.
“When an officer is presented with a firearm, it takes away the ability to use the less than lethal options,” Davis said, adding “I stand behind those officers 100 percent.”
To potential critics, Davis said, “they can pin a badge on, they can complete the necessary training, they can come out and put their life on the line day in and day out before they pass judgment on anyone.”
He declined to release the names of the officers involved, citing possible retaliation and the feelings of the officer and their loved ones.
“As a practice, the sheriff’s office has never released the name of one of the deputies involved in a shooting before, we don’t intend to begin now,” said Davis.
“On average, an officer will shoot about a 96 percent on paper, but when it comes to a real-life scenario, the hit rate is more like 15 percent,” Fincher said. “We shoot to stop, we don’t shoot to kill. That’s the way that we train them, they’re shooting to stop, not to kill.”
As soon as the immediate threat is gone, officers switch into life-saving mode, authorities said.
“This incident is very traumatic to the officers involved,” Fincher said. “One of the first things the state police do in addition to saying, ‘we are going to investigate this to make certain the officers did everything appropriately’ if they also come in with people to counsel our officers and make sure they are doing okay mentally.”
Fincher also praised the officer’s efforts to tackle the high-stress situation. He explained that officers are trained to aim for center mass due to the reduction of hit rate in a real-life scenario.
As soon as the threat is contained, officers switched into a life-saving mode, Fincher said, and reiterated that he was certain the officer’s efforts helped.
