CONCORD, Va. – A 15-hour hostage situation in Campbell County is over following an exchange of gunfire between a male suspect and police.
The suspect was flown to Lynchburg General Hospital where he died shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday. The hostage, a 3-year-old boy, was safely rescued by a Virginia State Police hostage negotiator. The toddler is now in the custody of family members.
The incident began Friday night at 9:29 p.m. when the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call for a male subject who was armed with a gun and had locked himself inside a bedroom at a residence on Quarry Lane. The man had also taken the child hostage in the room with him.
Sheriff’s deputies immediately responded and were able to gain entry into the residence. The deputies made repeated attempts to contact the adult male and spent hours trying to negotiate the child’s safe release and the male subject’s surrender. At approximately 2:58 a.m., Saturday morning, the suspect shot through the bedroom door at a deputy on the other side who had been trying to make verbal contact with the suspect. The deputy was not injured. No shots were fired by the deputies.
At approximately 8 a.m. Saturday morning, after almost 11 hours of attempting to safely resolve the situation, the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team was relieved of its position inside the residence by the Virginia State Police Tactical Team. Hostage negotiations continued with state police.
Shortly before 12:05 p.m., the 3-year-old boy emerged from the bedroom. As a state police negotiator tried to coax the toddler to safety, the male suspect began shooting at the state police special agent and Tactical Team members inside the residence. State police returned fire.
The toddler was not harmed. No state police personnel were injured. The suspect was flown to Lynchburg General Hospital for treatment. His remains will be transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner for autopsy and examination.
The incident and shooting remain under investigation at this time by Virginia State Police and the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office.
The Lynchburg Police Department also assisted at the scene during the overnight hours.
