BY RACHEL MAHONEY
The (Lynchburg) News & Advance
LYNCHBURG â A Lynchburg Police Department officer who shot at a man while trying to take him into custody during a mental health episode, killing a dog the man was holding, was justified in his actions, a prosecutor has determined.
Multiple officers responded to the Cherrywood Suites extended-stay apartments off Holcomb Path Road the night of Feb. 25 for at least two calls about a man who was having a mental health episode, according to statements from police and an investigation report released Tuesday.
One of the callers had just ended a relationship with the man, the report states, and officers determined that the man was under the influence of multiple drugs, had bladed weapons in the apartment, had a history of violence and had recently become paranoid after he stopped taking psychiatric medications.
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Sergeant Vernon Parrish, a 12-year veteran of the department, remains on restricted duty during the investigation.
Police say they were called February 25 to the 100 block of Holcomb Path Road to check on a person’s welfare. A man shut himself inside the home with multiple weapons, according to police, leading to the Crisis Negotiation Team and Tactical Unit responding.
According to police, officers spent several hours speaking with the man, trying to de-escalate the situation, but he would not allow officers to take him into custody. After determining he did not appear armed, officers tried to take him into custody while he was on a bed. As officers approached him, the man “abruptly moved one hand to a concealed location,” leading Parrish to fire a shot at him.