Incidents

Joseph A. Wood's attack on LaQuinn Gilmore resulted in a federal lawsuit and Wood's resignation from CPD.

Seth Layton and Benjamin Bone of the Virginia State Police stopped 18-year-old Xzavier Hill while he was driving on I-64, then shot and killed him.

Virginia police officers and former police officers who have been charged with participation in the events of January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

A Virginia Beach police officer attacked and handcuffed Jamar Mackey, a Black father, while he was eating at the mall food court with his fiancee and 13-year-old child. The officer claimed he "looked like" a thief. They later apologized for their "mistake."

"On December 17, 2020, at approximately 10:49 a.m., an individual (who was a juvenile) called 9-1-1 and reported to the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications (hereinafter “DPSC”) that he had been shot in the face by his roommate (hereinafter identified by his initials “GM”) in an apartment on Peach Orchard Drive in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County. The caller reported that he was currently inside of a locked bedroom, but that GM was still in the apartment and that he could not safely get out of the apartment.

At 10:54 a.m., patrol officers from the Fairfax County Police Department’s (hereinafter “FCPD”) McLean District police station arrived at the location of the shooting. They were quickly joined there by other FCPD officers, a Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office deputy, and several members of the FCPD’s Special Operations Division’s (hereinafter “SOD”) Special Weapons and Tactics (hereinafter “SWAT”) team. Two of the responding SWAT team members were Police Officer First Class #1 (hereinafter “PFC#1) and Master Police Officer #1 (hereinafter “MPO#1).

At 10:57 a.m., GM called DPSC and stated that he “shot the male twice;” and, at 11:07 a.m., he stated that he would not be alive much longer and that police “will have guns blazing” because he had killed someone. At 11:10 a.m., the juvenile shooting victim advised DPSC that GM was now banging on his bedroom door.

The DPSC call-taker on the phone with GM asked him to put down his gun and surrender to the police, but he refused. At that point, the FCPD Duty Officer—who had been apprised of all the aforementioned information and statements—made the decision to have a team enter the apartment to rescue the shooting victim (and now hostage).

At 11:12 a.m., the assembled team entered the apartment, and one minute later a report of “shots fired” was sent over police radios. Because the door to the apartment was locked, the officers forced their way in with breaching equipment. PFC#1 and MPO#1 were the third and fifth officers to enter. They approached a bedroom with a closed door, believing the juvenile shooting victim was inside. Before getting to the closed door, PFC#1 saw GM sitting on a bed in another bedroom with the door open.

GM held two pistols pointed in the direction of PFC#1. PFC#1 fired one shot from his weapon, which struck GM in the stomach. GM returned fire, striking PFC#1 in his arm. GM continued firing2 and PFC#1 fired several more rounds, while MPO#1 fired several rounds as well.3 When the gunfire stopped, Master Police Officer #2 (hereinafter “MPO#2), who had entered the apartment equipped with a bullet-resistant shield, came to assist MPO#1 in freeing the juvenile victim/hostage from his bedroom. Using the ballistic shield as a barrier between them and GM, MPO#1 and MPO#2 safely got the juvenile out of the apartment. They also assisted PFC#1 out of the apartment so that he could receive medical treatment for his gunshot wound."

----(IPA-20-10: Public Report by the Fairfax County Independent Police Auditor)

In a meeting on Dec. 17, 2020, the Criminal Justice Services Board (CJSB) Executive Committee heard appeals from officers decertified for their alleged participation in a scam perpetrated by fellow ex-officer Jeffrey Spicer. Spicer, a former Scott County Sheriff's Office Deputy, had allegedly been completing online training courses on behalf of his colleagues in exchange for money.

Steve W. Smith, Christopher K. Davidson, and Terry Sivert were all accused of utilizing Spicer's "services" and thereby failing to maintain compliance with training requirements. The particulars of each officer's offenses are alluded to in the meeting minutes.

Only Smith was successful in his appeal. The Committee voted to reinstate Smith's certification as a law enforcement officer (although the vote was not unanimous). It voted to uphold its ruling to decertify Davidson and Sivert.

Charlottesville Police officer Jeffrey Jaeger was convicted of assault and battery. His 12-month sentence was suspended, and instead he was ordered to serve two years of unsupervised probation.

A viral video shows two Windsor Police officers (Daniel Crocker and Joe Gutierrez) drawing their guns at and verbally harassing Caron Nazario, a Black/Latinx lieutenant in the Army, after stopping him for a "missing license plate."

The Culpeper Sheriff's Office fatally shot Ellis Frye, 62.

Police Narrative (Not Verified):

"On November 23, 2020, at approximately 7:55 p.m., Fairfax County Police Department (hereinafter “FCPD”) officers from the Reston District police station responded to a suspicious person call. The caller reported that a person was lying outside of an apartment complex on Stone Wheel Drive in Reston. Because the caller stated that the person was possibly unconscious, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (hereinafter “FCFRD”) personnel were also dispatched to the location. FCFRD personnel arrived first and were engaged in conversation with the individual—later identified as having the initials D.M. (hereinafter “DM”) when Police Officer First Class #1 (hereinafter “PFC#1”) and Police Officer First Class #2 (hereinafter “PFC#2”) arrived.

Initially, the FCPD officers merely stood by while the medical professionals from FCFRD tried to determine DM’s identity and the reason for his being passed out outside of the building. The officers continued to demand information from DM [who did not respond because he was unconscious]....

…..PFC#1 continued trying to get information from DM, but he continued to be unresponsive. 2 PFC#1 requested additional officers respond to the location. In addition to three other officers, a sergeant (hereinafter SGT#1”) from the Reston District station soon arrived. A captain from the FCFRD approached the scene and requested to speak with DM. DM did, for the first time, respond to some of her questions. He soon accused the captain of harassing him and of having backed him into the corner of the apartment complex where he was now standing. The FCFRD captain walked away from him.

When the FCPD officers resumed engaging with DM, he yelled loudly, “Why are the police bothering me? What have I done? I’m walking!” At approximately 8:25 p.m., PFC#1 consulted with SGT#1 to explain what had transpired since he arrived at 7:55 p.m.

PFC#1 suggested arresting DM for Public Intoxication1 so that he could be transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (hereinafter “ADC”) for his safety and wellbeing. SGT#1 concurred and authorized PFC#1 to arrest DM…. When PFC#1 reached for DM’s right arm, DM grabbedg the apartment’s door handle with his left hand and squeezing it tightly.2 At this point, Police Officer First Class #3 (hereinafter “PFC#3”) approached to assist with the arrest….

At this point, PFC#3 grabbed hold of DM’s shirt to pull him away from the door. DM dropped his weight and went to the ground. DM grabbed one of PFC#3’s legs and reached for and grabbed his holstered electronic control weapon (hereinafter “ECW,” commonly referred to as a Taser). Upon seeing this, PFC#1 used a hand strike to get DM’s hands away from the ECW. PFC#1 then got a handcuff on DM’s right wrist before the officers tried to lift him off the ground. He again dropped his weight and went to the ground. Once back on the ground, DM began saying, “hold up, hold up, hold the fuck up, no, no, no, timeout.” After getting DM into a more stable seated position, with additional help from Master Police Officer #1 (hereinafter “MPO#1”), the officers were able to pull him away from the confined space of the doorway and get him onto his right side. DM reached for a railing in the entranceway he was now in, and squirming with his arms to prevent from being handcuffed. With limited assistance from a second Master Police Officer (hereinafter “MPO#2”), the officer handcuffed DM’s left wrist. The set of handcuffs secured on DM’s right wrist was then cuffed to the set on his left wrist….

The officers lifted him onto a stretcher which allowed the FCFRD to secure him using straps. The FCFRD placed him in an ambulance and advised the FCPD officers that they would sedate him with ketamine. PFC#1 and PFC#2 rode in the ambulance during the transport of DM to Reston Hospital. The decision to transport DM to Reston Hospital for evaluation was made by FCPD and FCFRD personnel on the scene of his arrest.

During the transport in the ambulance, DM indicated that the earlier actions of the arresting officers had aggravated pre-existing medical conditions he had with his left ankle and both shoulders (rotator cuff issues)... DM lodged a complaint with the Office of the Independent Police Auditor and the Police Civilian Review Panel (hereinafter “PCRP”) on July 7, 2021. He alleged that he was unlawfully arrested and assaulted by FCPD officers."

"On November 10, 2020, the OIPA received an e-mail from a complainant bearing the initials L.F. (“LF”). The complaint included allegations that earlier on November 10, 2020,

individuals “grabbed [her] arms, pushed [her], [and] did not allow [her] to go back to [her] car.”

The incident occurred at 6601 S. Van Dorn Street in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. LF’s e-mail indicated that she wanted to determine whether the individuals were Fairfax County Police Department (“FCPD”) officers or private security personnel. LF’s complaint was provided to the FCPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau (“IAB”) for investigation. Because other aspects of LF’s complaint alleged misconduct (but not force) by people who may be FCPD officers, the complaint was also provided to the Fairfax County Police Civilian Review Panel (“CRP”).

An investigator assigned to IAB interviewed LF on November 23, 2020. He identified and interviewed four FCPD officers assigned to the Franconia District Station who were on the

scene of the incident involving LF on November 10, 2020."

"Davidson stated that he was short six training hours in 2011 and was told to make them up online. Not proficient on computers, he asked Mr. Spicer to assist him but stated that Spicer only helped him log in and out of the computer. Special Agent McClanahan stated that Davidson told him that Spicer completed six hours of his training in 2011 and took classes for him in 2013, but that he did not pay him." —Dec. 17, 2020 Meeting Minutes

Decertification Cause: Failed to comply or maintain compliance with mandated training requirements.

Richmond Police Civil Unrest Task Force attacks small crowd of protesters outside Richmond City Justice Center, attempting to rip off one protester's top, banging one protester's head into a riot shield, and attempting to drag another protester off a bike.

The Charlottesville Police Department announced on September 1, 2020, that Officer Jeffrey Jaeger was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery and tried in Charlottesville General District Court.

Several officers appeared in the trial as witnesses.

Frank Hunt was shot in the eye at a protest. He was partially blinded for months, but continued to attend the 2020 protests.