The police chief of Fairfax County, Virginia, said Wednesday that his officer made the right decision in shooting a Falls Church man who brandished an assault rifle at officers serving a search warrant Tuesday night. The man wasn’t killed, and the chief said he should consider himself lucky.
In detailing the moments that led a 16-year veteran of his department to shoot 24-year-old David Vo, police Chief Ed Roessler said he is glad no lives were lost.
“While Mr. Vo was armed with a firearm, two of his children, both under the age of 4, and his girlfriend were in the home,” Roessler said at a news conference.
Roessler called the decision to use deadly force proportionate, legal and necessary.
The member of the SWAT team shot Vo in the leg on Tuesday while serving a warrant at his townhouse on Lee Landing Drive in Falls Church.
“We don’t intentionally train to hit limbs. We train center mass to end a deadly threat. He’s blessed,” Roessler said of the outcome.
Roessler said he could not confirm whether Vo’s assault rifle was loaded or how many rounds the officer fired, but added when the officers entered the home announcing their presence, a number of unsecured firearms and narcotics were in plain view.
Vo faces a host of drug and weapons charges. He was treated for injuries at the hospital and went to the Fairfax County Detention Center.
