Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, said Thursday that a 36-year-old man from Fairfax shot two county police officers before another officer shot him four times and killed him.
The incident started Wednesday afternoon when an officer operating a radar gun in the area clocked a driver speeding and initiated a traffic stop, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said during a news conference hours after the shooting occurred.
Jamal Wali was argumentative and refused to obey commands, police said, after an officer pulled him over at 2:36 p.m. Wednesday in the 4000 block of Majestic Lane near Greenbriar.
When backup arrived, police said Wali reached for a gun holstered in his gun belt and shot the two officers from the driver side of his 1999 Toyota Camry. A third officer, standing on the passenger side, opened fire, striking Wali four times and killing him.
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The two officers who were shot were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Chief Davis said he viewed body camera footage from all three officers and footage from the dashcam of police cruisers on scene.
“So if I appear to be speaking with a degree of certainty, it’s because I am certain. I’m certain that these officers are lucky to be alive. I’m certain that they were fired upon by a gunman whose intention was to kill them. And I’m certain that the bravery exhibited by the third officer on the scene ultimately saved their lives,” Davis said at the news conference.
That body camera footage will be released to the public within 30 days, per county police policy.
The officer who shot and killed Wali is a two-year veteran of Fairfax County police and has been placed on restricted duty status, pending the outcome of criminal and administrative investigations.
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