A police officer in Virginia died Saturday night after being shot while performing a welfare check at a vacant home in the 2500 Block of Orr Street. Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler was asked by a man to conduct a welfare check on an individual in the said residence just after 4 am when he was believed to have been shot.
According to Fox News, upon arrival at the abandoned property, Chandler encountered a lone man and was shot at. Authorities said troopers were dispatched to the scene before 5 am where a deputy from the Wise County Sheriff's Office found Chandler lying unconscious in a ditch by the home’s driveway. He was immediately flown to the Johnson City Medical Center with life-threatening injuries and died hours later. It was Officer Chandler’s 29th birthday.
Corinne Geller of the Virginia State Police said, "His patrol car and another vehicle were both at the scene, but there was no other person at the scene.”
Following an extensive manhunt, search and investigation teams from local, state and federal law enforcement were dispatched with troopers apprehending a 33-year-old male suspect at the Travel Inn on Lynn Garden Drive in Kingsport, Tennessee just before 8 pm.
The suspect was arrested by Kingsport Police and is now being held on probation violations out of South Carolina and Wise County. Investigations into the fatal shooting of Chandler remain ongoing with other details still unclear. Charges related to the incident are also still pending.
#VSP, @WISECOSHERIFF, @USMarshalsHQ seeking tips in shooting of #BigStoneGap Police Officer on Orr Street early Saturday (11/13/21). $10K reward offered for info that leads to ID/Arrest of shooter. Call 276-228-3131 or email questions@vsp.virginia.gov. pic.twitter.com/YyCFcrp16B
— VA State Police (@VSPPIO) November 13, 2021
As of now, the United States Marshals Service has offered a $10,000 reward for any information that may lead to the location and apprehension of Chandler’s killer. "His battle to survive today was truly miraculous. But, he succumbed to his injuries around 7:00 p.m. this evening at the hospital with his family at his side," Big Stone Gap Police Chief Stephen Hamm said in a statement.
Hamm continued as he expressed Wise County’s sense of loss over Chandler’s tragic death, "Mike's loss will be felt by our town and across all of Wise County. Not only did he serve as an officer with the Town of Big Stone Gap Police Department, but also as a volunteer with the Big Stone Gap Fire Department. “
“Please keep his family in your prayers tonight, as this should have been a day to celebrate his 29th birthday - not a day to mourn his passing,” he added.
