YORK COUNTY, Va. — A 16-year-old boy who the sheriff's office said was pointing a gun at people, including in the direction of law enforcement, was shot twice Sunday evening in Yorktown by a deputy, the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies were dispatched around 6 p.m. Sunday after receiving multiple calls from people in the area of the 400 block of Arcadia Loop in the Clairmont Apartments, saying that the boy pointed a gun at them. One caller had claimed the suspect pointed the gun's laser sight at their face, the sheriff's office said.
“There were a lot of people out especially with those kids on the playground, so the potential for a lot more violence was there clearly,” said Sheriff Montgomery in a press conference Monday.
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The sheriff said after receiving several calls, they found the individual in a gold Honda with the gun in his lap.
"We even tried to talk with him at one point with a relative who was FaceTiming live with this individual in the car," Sheriff Montgomery said. "Trying to get him to leave the gun in the car and get out of the vehicle."
But when the suspect pointed the gun at deputies, they backed off, Montgomery said.
He later exited the vehicle with the firearm and cellphone in hand and started waving the firearm around, Montgomery said.
"He actually pointed it in the direction of deputies," Montgomery said. "When he did that, one of my deputies who was on scene with one of our issued rifles, fired three rounds — two of the rounds struck the individual and once he went down, deputies moved in, secured the firearm that he had, and we immediately began first aid.
Bobby Pritchett, a long-time resident in the area, said he saw the incident unfold and he described what he witnessed to News 3's Kelsey Jones. He said he watched as deputies asked the boy repeatedly to put the gun down and come out. He then heard three gunshots.
"I know police did everything they could to get the young man to surrender the weapon and come out peacefully," said Pritchett. "But that didn't happen."
The deputy who fired on the teen is on administrative leave with pay, and the commonwealth's attorney is being consulted on potential criminal charges for the teen.
“It’s sadly becoming more and more common on a regular basis with young people getting their hands on these firearms,” said Sheriff Montgomery.
It is unclear at this time where he got the gun.
The sheriff's office said the boy is still in the hospital in the intensive care unit.
