Posted on 09/09/2015 5:30:31 AM PDT by csvset
VIRGINIA BEACH
The vehicle pulled into a spot at a 7-Eleven parking lot, away from the business and its patrons.
Officers from a special operations unit had been following it for a half-hour before they pulled in behind it, police Chief Jim Cervera said Tuesday.
Four officers approached. The passenger fired four rounds, Cervera said. One pierced an officer's sleeve, but he was not struck.
Police returned fire - 30 rounds total, the chief said.
The passenger, Angelo Delano Perry, 35, of Virginia Beach, and the driver, India Kager, 28, of College Park, Md., were killed. Their infant son was in the vehicle but not harmed. Cervera said officers did not know the baby was there.
The exchange lasted less than 15 seconds Saturday night.
Cervera said the four officers were placed on administrative duty after the shooting at the intersection of Lynnhaven Parkway and Salem Road in the Princess Anne area.
"The officers did everything in their power to mitigate a violent confrontation," Cervera said. But it became one, and "we regret the loss of both Mr. Perry and Ms. Kager."
Police said Tuesday they recovered a 9 mm handgun that was used to fire at officers and a Tec-9 semi-automatic weapon that was in a bag at Perry's feet. Both were loaded.
Cervera said authorities had received information before the shooting that indicated Perry might be planning to commit a violent crime in Virginia Beach.
He was a "person of interest" in a homicide investigation, but Cervera said he couldn't release details.
Perry spent almost 13 years in prison after he was convicted of several crimes, including malicious wounding, use of a firearm in a felony and assault and battery on a law enforcement officer, according to Department of Corrections spokeswoman Lisa Kinney. He was released on mandatory parole in May 2014 and was on community supervision at the time of the shootout, records show.
Police would not identify the officers involved but said an internal investigation is taking place.
"Officers involved in deadly force situations take that with them for life.... They don't carry that lightly," Cervera said.
The commonwealth's attorney said in a statement Tuesday that the office is independently investigating whether the officers' use of deadly force was justified.
The office has three retired enforcement officers from outside Virginia Beach who are available to do such reviews, said Macie Pridgen, a spokeswoman for the commonwealth's attorney. One of them will conduct an investigation separate from the Beach police's with access to the same documents and interview subjects, she said.
Kager was stationed at Oceana Naval Air Station and served for four years before leaving the service in May 2013, according to the Navy. She was awarded a good conduct medal during her time.
Kager's mother, Gina Best, who lives in Maryland, told The Associated Press that Kager had been in Virginia Beach a couple of hours before the shooting. Best said that the infant is Kager's 4-month-old son, Roman, and that Kager's grandmother went to Virginia Beach to get him. Kager also had a 4-year-old son.
Best told the AP that her daughter recently got a job as a postal carrier near Washington. She said Kager's father and grandfather are retired police officers.
"I have to refer to my baby in the past tense," Best said. "That absolutely sends my psyche into a realm of darkness that I never wanted to experience."
Pilot writers Matt McKinney and Mike Hixenbaugh contributed to this report.
Katherine Hafner, 757-446-2705, katherine.hafner@pilotonline.com.
Law enforcement officers are allowed to "Spray and Pray" while the rest of us measly citizens are held to a higher standard and have to aim.
Did you read the article? With all the media coverage of bad cops these days, you think four cops were just “stalking” this guy for no good reason? You know, they do have to follow leads from other crimes, right?
Also, do you think someone who has just shot four rounds at cops should have a gentle reminder before the cops return fire? One of the bullets went through the sleeve of an officer! How close do you want the initial shooter to get before they return fire?
I also read this in the original article:
***Police said Tuesday they recovered a 9 mm handgun that was used to fire at officers and a Tec-9 semi-automatic weapon that was in a bag at Perry’s feet. Both were loaded.***
I’m quite sure Perry had nothing but good intentions carrying two loaded weapons with him. /sarc
“This is the kind of police action that gives ammunition to the blacks who call for murdering police.”
There is no “ammunition” for anyone to murder police. The “I was afraid for my life” excuse is wearing pretty damned thin these days, unless you’re an anarchist or a murderer to begin with.
I wouldn’t expect cops to divulge such information in every murder case . It sounds to me like they were still investigating the earlier crime.
“But there is never any need for a civilian to have more than 6 rounds in a magazine, I have heard.”
Yeah, these cops had double-stack 9mm’s most likely, 15 rounds a piece.
Odd,that is precisely the excuse used by many police when they shoot dogs in the dogs’ own home or yard,kids with toy guns,men reaching for a wallet,pulling up their pants,answering the door,etc.
Police should be easily identifiable as such when making an arrest.
I want to know YOUR reaction when suddenly confronted by several strange persons in dark clothing.
Officers from a special operations unit …
Stop! I found your problem. Warrior wannabes playing Special Ops.
Exhibit 1: A nomex flight suit on a street cop?
C’mon.
Given there's a woman and a child in the car, the answer is NOT "Find a remote corner of a parking lot and start a gunfight.".
Yeah, I always drive with TWO loaded guns in my car as a passenger. One isn’t enough for basic safety.
(Wish I didn’t have to, but for clarity’s sake I must, the above is sarcasm.)
I guess I should have used “ride” instead of “drive” in my previous post.
The dead perp knew it was the police and why they were onto him. He probably had the baby in the car to use as a human shield. Fortunately, he never had the chance. So long, sucka!
***”My greatest fear is it will be doctored ... to make India seem like she’s part of dark behavior. India was not of that element,” Best said. “Her upbringing, everything about my daughter — she walked the straight and narrow. She was a wonderful person.”***
Yes, momma, that’s why she bedded a felon after he got out of jail, because she walked the straight and narrow. /s
You DO realize many of the “acknowledged gun writers” advise(d) having a backup gun?Which is a bit paranoid for most.
And one of the celebrated Border Patrol heroes and writer of gun books of the past thought it okay to destroy the reputation of an innocent man with a throwdown gun rather than “ruin the career of a good officer”.I can only hope his attitude was (and is) rare.
Bad cops put EVERYONE at risk.
If they will not respect the love of the Lord, which hates for them to scapegoat their own recklessness on everyone else, then the blame game is all that is left to restrain them. One or the other, they have to choose.
I don’t think they were bad cops.
***Perry was recently released from prison after serving 12 years of a 13-year prison sentence on a malicious-wounding charge for shooting someone in the back. Court records show he also was charged with assaulting a police officer in 2000. In 2013, Perry was denied parole, in part, because he had a history of drug use and violent crimes and was considered a threat to society.***
Yolu need to take our medicine.
Oops! They don’t have medicine for stupid.
Read the story and you will see that they were being followed as suspects in a murder.
I suppose 4 officers firing only 30 rounds total actually shows restraint these days;I remember the days of only 2 or 3 shots fired and only the criminal hit.Still not entirely convinced the move from .357 to semi-auto was a good thing.In my time on patrol the .357 125 JHP had been shown to stop the subject on ONE shot well over 90% of incidents.
Perrywas obviously not good.I just question the police tactics and the propensity to dress and act like military
I seem to recall police in a few other cases pumping lots of bullets into cars and persons on just suspicion;i find that troubling.
Not saying Perry was a good guy.
The investigation will give some answers, but I would bet:
Cops trailing someone for 30 minutes had a reason to do so.
Cops trailing someone for 30 minutes would call in the tag for information if they did not already know who they were following.
In either case they would know who he was and that he had a record and convictions for violence against cops.
Cops do not trail people for no reason.
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