The Virginian-Pilot
Editorial
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — We should all pray for police officers like Sean Fleming. First, that the Chesapeake rookie recovers fully from the bullet wounds he suffered in the horrific shootout on an Interstate 64 ramp Monday afternoon. Second, that the people across South Hampton Roads, and this nation, are fortunate enough to have such men and women defending us.
Fleming, 26, has been on the job with the Chesapeake Police Department less than a year. He was heading home Monday afternoon in his Jeep following his shift in Deep Creek, when he pulled over for officers trailing a white van. Fleming turned on his radio, heard “shots fired” and followed the pursuit. The van crashed at the on-ramp from North George Washington Highway.
As Fleming pulled up, a man left the van armed with an assault rifle, saw Fleming in uniform and squeezed off dozens of shots. Fleming was hit by four bullets, but managed to fire at least eight times at the attacker and get out of the Jeep. Other officers pulled him to safety.
The rifle-wielding suspect, Christopher White, 26, was killed, reportedly by Fleming.
Two other suspects were apprehended. Another man, who had been kidnapped from a Norfolk street in broad daylight, was killed by the suspects, authorities said.
It is remarkable that nobody else was injured in the barrage of shots on the freeway. Police say White fired more than 40 rounds before he was killed.
“Officer Fleming is a hero,” said Chesapeake Police Chief Kelvin Wright. “He could have gone on his way home. He acted selflessly to intervene in a dangerous situation.”
We agree, and we’d wager that Fleming’s impulse and action to get involved are probably shared by most officers who wear a uniform, a badge and a gun. He was in good condition Tuesday at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital following surgery.
Others played commendable roles in this incident, too.
Friends and residents who saw Tione D. Vincent forced into the van at gunpoint on East Liberty Street immediately alerted police with a vehicle description and the license plate number. A lieutenant with the Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office, on his way home from work, got stuck in a traffic jam, learned from other officers what was going on, and offered to help. He and his K-9 partner located one of the suspects.
Today, though, give thanks to Officer Fleming, and all the people who sacrifice so much to keep the rest of us safe.