Authorities identify man fatally shot by Fairfax County police

2 min

A man fatally shot by Fairfax County police Thursday has been identified as a resident of Newport News, Va., who authorities said attacked an officer and tried to take his gun while the officer was attempting to detain him for driving a stolen truck.

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Police said Brandon Lemagne, 38, was driving in the Alexandria section of the county in a U-Haul truck that had been stolen May 3 in Richmond. At 4:06 p.m. Thursday, “Lemagne passed a license plate reader which alerted officers” to the truck, police said in a statement Friday. After Lemagne stopped and got out of the U-Haul in a gas station parking lot in the 6300 block of Richmond Highway, an officer left his police SUV and approached Lemagne.

The two spoke briefly before walking toward the officer’s vehicle, according to the statement.

“The officer told Lemagne he was going to be detained for driving the stolen U-Haul,” the statement says. “Lemagne then attacked the officer. He immediately grabbed the officer’s firearm and tried to remove it from the holster.” After striking the officer in the head, the statement says, Lemagne “opened the officer’s cruiser door and forced the officer into the vehicle.”

Video of the encounter shows the officer and a man struggling in the front seat of the police SUV. The gear shift became engaged and the SUV accelerated in reverse, crashing into a car parked outside a neighboring McDonald’s restaurant, the video shows.

The officer was able to radio for help, saying a suspect had taken his gun. The police statement says Lemagne was not able to get the weapon out of its holster. “The officer’s duty belt remained on the officer during the assault with the firearm holstered. The holstered firearm was pulled from his hip to the front of the officer’s waistband.”

When other officers soon arrived, one of them fired several rounds, then another officer pulled Lemagne out of the SUV and also fired shots, Police Chief Kevin Davis told reporters Thursday. One of the officers who opened fire has been on the force for 24 years and the other for eight years, according to the statement, which does not identify any of the officers involved in the incident.

Fairfax police officials Friday did not respond requests for comment beyond the statement they issued. No relatives of Lemagne could be immediately located for comment.

Lemagne was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer who was attacked was treated at a hospital and released. The statement says the officers who fired shots have been placed on restricted duty while the incident is under investigation.