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Man dies in officer-involved shooting inside Newport News cafe

Posted at 8:22 AM, Apr 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-01 16:16:53-04

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - An armed man inside of Pondo Cafe was shot and killed by a police officer, according to Newport News Police.

On April 29 at approximately 5 a.m., dispatch received a call about a violent subject inside the cafe, located in the 5800 block of Jefferson Avenue.

When officers arrived, they heard several gunshots inside the cafe.

Officers were unable to get inside the cafe because the doors were locked.

A caller inside the cafe told dispatchers there were three people being held hostage by the armed man. The caller told dispatchers the suspect shot him.

After hearing gunshots, a tactical situation was called at 5:06 a.m. and the team entered the cafe. When the suspect saw officers, he pointed his gun at a responding officer.

One of the officers fired his gun, striking and killing the suspect. The suspect has been identified as 35-year-old Caleb "CJ" Jackson.

Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation revealed that Jackson was armed with a loaded gun.

The two other hostages were not injured. The shooting victim was taken to a local hospital.

The officer involved in the shooting will be on paid administrative leave. A standard criminal and administrative investigation will be conducted.

According to police, the officer is a 22-year veteran of the Newport News Police Department and is a Tactical Operations Unit team leader and trainer. He has been involved in one other fatal shooting, which also occurred during a tactical situation and was deemed justified by the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.

Newport News Police Chief Richard Myers released the following statement Monday:

“We deeply regret that it was necessary to use lethal force in this incident and we extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Caleb Jackson, Jr.  It is never an easy decision for any police officer to make.  We pledge a thorough and objective investigation that will be submitted to the Commonwealth’s Attorney's Office for final review.

This incident began with the serious wounding by gunshot of an employee at the business, who provided ongoing statements to the Department via telephone.  There were strong indications that this wounded victim was going into medical distress, and further delays in linking him to emergency medical treatment could have cost him his life.  By all indications, the Newport News Police personnel from dispatch to patrol to our Tactical response team acted with professionalism, courage, and putting their safety at risk to save a life.  While we must await the outcome of the investigation, the preliminary information we have gives me pride in the work of these men and women.”