A 19-year-old Fredericksburg man has been charged with three counts of attempted capital murder after he barricaded himself in an apartment and fired several shots at police officers.
Nelson Lee Kennedy Jr. was arrested at approximately 10:45 Saturday night after negotiating a peaceful surrender with police for nearly two hours.
Police originally responded to the apartment Kennedy shared with his mother in the 200 block of Greystone Court in Fredericksburg at around 8:45 p.m. after receiving a report of drug activity. Kennedy's mother let officers into the apartment and told them her son was in his bedroom. When one of the officers looked inside, authorities say he saw a figure holding a long gun.
The officers left the apartment and went to the breezeway outside, taking Kennedy's mother with them. Moments later, investigators say Kennedy opened the front door and fired a shot across the hallway. Moments later, authorities say Kennedy fired several more shots at an officer who had taken up a position outside where he could observe the apartment's balcony.
The shooting drew additional officers to the scene, and police say Kennedy fired another shot at a patrol car pulling into the apartment's parking lot. Investigators said the shot had struck another car in the parking lot, puncturing its gas tank.
After Kennedy was taken into custody, officers searched the apartment and found several more weapons, which were collected as evidence. In addition to the attempted capital murder charges, Kennedy was charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, shooting into an occupied emergency vehicle, and obstruction of justice.
Kennedy is currently being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
