Teen shot by deputy in Yorktown pointed gun at deputies, sheriff says

YORKTOWN, Va. (WAVY) — A 16-year-old who was shot by a deputy in Yorktown on Sunday evening had pointed a gun in the direction of deputies, according to York-Poquoson Sheriff Ron Montgomery.

The shooting happened shortly after 6 p.m. near a playground outside the Clairmont Apartments in the 400 block of Arcadia Loop, according to a release. Officers were dispatched after receiving a call for someone brandishing a firearm.

Witnesses from the scene told 10 On Your Side that the teenage boy allegedly had a gun with a laser pointer, and was harassing children at the playground.

York-Poquoson Sheriff Ron Montgomery in a press conference Monday said the teen was in a car at the scene with a 9mm handgun with an extended magazine of 23 bullets. He was asked several times to drop the weapon during negotiations, but refused, Montgomery said.

The teen eventually got out of the passenger’s side door and began waving the gun around. When he pointed the gun in the direction of deputies, one of the deputies fired three shots, and two hit the teen, Montgomery said.

WAVY reviewed the body camera of the incident Monday that showed the events Montgomery described.

Deputies and medics immediately began administering first aid. At this time, the teen is still listed in critical condition, but Montgomery said doctors are optimistic about his recovery.

Montgomery also said they have consulted with the Commonwealth’s Attorney about possible charges, but said he was confident the teen didn’t get the gun from family members.

The deputy who shot the teen has been with the sheriff’s office for about a year and has about five years of law enforcement experience. He is on administrative leave with pay.

Montgomery said that he spoke with the teen’s mother and stepfather, and he will schedule a time for them to ask him questions in the case.

A woman who spoke to 10 On Your Side on Monday morning, said it was her son who was shot. She did not say his condition, but she wants people to pray for him.

Another woman who was with the boy’s mom said the boy did not barricade himself inside the car. That same woman said the car belonged to her.

A neighbor, Bobby Pritchett, told 10 On Your Side he saw the shooting.

“When police got here, he locked himself in that brown car right there,” Pritchett said. “And they spent hours trying to get him out of the car to drop his weapon, to get him out the car. After that, he finally opened the door and got out, they were still trying to get him to put the gun down. He had one hand up, and he had the gun in the other hand. And the only thing I could hear was, I could hear the microphone and they just continuously asked him to put the gun down, come out the car with his hands up. They did that for over an hour.”

Pritchett says he didn’t see what led up to the shooting, but describes what other neighbors saw before the shots.

“From what I was told, the young man was brandishing a firearm out around the playground area,” he said. “And here his sister carried him in the house. But for some reason, when some of the residents came back in the neighborhood, he ran back downstairs with his gun, supposedly.”

Pritchett said the boy’s condition is heavy on his mind.

“I know the police did everything they could to get the young man to come out that rendered a weapon to come out peacefully,” he said, “but that didn’t happen.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRIC ABC 8News.