More incidents in the Strasburg Police
Incident Shooting of Melissa Tompkins
| Date | Dec 17, 2023 |
| Time | 10:33 PM |
| Report # | Shooting of Melissa Tompkins |
| Department | Strasburg Police |
| Officers | George G. Rathore , Bianca M. Hager |
| Address | Strasburg, VA |
| Tags | Killing | |
Incident Description
On December 17, 2023 at roughly 22:33, "Officer G. G. Rathore and Officer B. M. Hager arrived at the Ramada Inn located at 21 Signal Knob Drive in reference to a disorderly female who was said to be behind of the front desk without permission, throwing cans of soda in the lobby area of the business, and running through the hallways carrying a fire extinguisher."
At some point, Office Rathore encountered Melissa Renee Tompkins in the rear parking lot of the hotel, where she allegedly "grabbed his baton and used it to hit him in the head". Rathore shot Tompkins multiple times.
Tompkins was taken to Winchester Medical Center where she died of her injuries. Rathore was treated at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital and released.
Links
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Grieving family of shooting victim says she struggled with addiction
Tompkins, 40, was shot and killed by a Strasburg police officer who was responding to a 911 call for a disturbance at a hotel on Signal Knob Drive. - Laura Ruby, The Northern Virginia Dail
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Strasburg Police Case Report
Officer Involved Shooting, December 17, 2023 - Wayne Sager, Chief of Police
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Strasburg police officer cleared in shooting
The Commonwealth’s Attorney Elizabeth Cooper appointed Bryan Porter to serve as a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation. Porter concluded Officer George Rathore “acted in justifiable self defense” and would not face any criminal charges, the SPD announced. - WHSV Newsroom
Other videos
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Strasburg Police Department critical incident briefing video
The Strasburg Police Department released a critical incident briefing video on Facebook related to the officer-involved shooting from December 17, 2023. Includes body-worn camera footage and hotel security footage. - Strasburg Police Department