A Loudoun County sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a man who was armed with knives Friday morning during an incident that marked the second day in a row that law enforcement had been called to the same home on a report of a disturbance, authorities said.
“All indications are that the appropriate protocol was followed,” Chapman said.
The sheriff’s department identified the man who was fatally shot as Johannes Melvin Wood, 58, authorities said.
The incident began shortly before 5 a.m. when Wood’s sister locked herself in a room and called 911 reporting that her brother had been threatening her, according to Chapman and a spokesman for the county sheriff’s office. Someone in the home was reportedly damaging items inside, according to the sheriff’s office.
A deputy responded to the home in the 41400 block of Carriage Horse Drive where Wood, wielding two knives, met him at the door, Chapman said.
“He was ordered to drop the knives,” Chapman said. “He continued to advance toward the deputy who ended up having to fire one shot that ended up being fatal.”
Kraig Troxell, a county sheriff’s office spokesman, said that deputies came to the same address about 9 a.m. the day before. Wood’s sister had called reporting that her brother was acting in a disorderly manner, Troxell said. Deputies arrived, and that Thursday morning incident was resolved peacefully.
Police tape continued to crisscross the street in the quiet community of newly built single-family houses and townhomes Friday afternoon.
The deputy, who has not yet been named, has been with the department for one year and in law enforcement for five years, Chapman said. He has been placed on paid administrative leave, authorities said.
“It is all part of a difficult job. At an instant, you are thrown into a life-and-death situation, and the public has to remember that anything can happen at any time,” Chapman said.
County sheriff department officials have turned the case over to the Virginia State Police to complete an independent investigation, Troxell said.
State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said the investigation, like most criminal investigations, will take several weeks.
“We treat this like any other death investigation,” Geller said.
The last time the Loudoun department had a fatal, deputy-involved shooting was in 2013, when a woman wielding a knife was killed inside a Costco in Sterling.
The woman, after having been shocked by a Taser, continued to come toward deputies with a knife before one deputy fired at her. The woman was killed, and the shooting rattled customers and employees, who reportedly rushed out of the store or took cover behind cash registers during the incident.
Tim Richardson and Rachel Weiner contributed to this report.
