Prince William County police released new information Wednesday on what preceded the shooting involving police in a neighborhood of Woodbridge, Virginia, that left a 19-year-old man dead and another man injured.
Police say three men met an undercover detective to buy “a large quantity of suspected fentanyl pills” and an least one gun, and then robbed him. The two men who survived are now charged with robbery resulting in a death.
Jaiden Carter, of Woodbridge, died Sunday after he was shot Thursday evening in the 14700 block of Fox Glove Court. County police said a shootout erupted during a police operation involving their officers, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Manassas police.
A lawyer for Carter's family said Monday that police were not justified in opening fire.
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Police still haven’t said who opened fire first or why, or if shots they said were fired by Prince William and Manassas police were those that injured the two men.
On Thursday, “arrangements were made through a confidential informant and an undercover Manassas City detective” to buy fentanyl and at least one gun, county police said in a statement.
Carter; Shane Dareon Pollard, 30, of Woodbridge; and Jalil Michael Turner, 18, of no fixed address, met the detective on Fox Glove Court, police said. Turner stepped out of a car, got into the detective’s car and got out a short time later. He returned to the detective’s car with Carter. Turner got into the front passenger seat, and Carter got into the back seat.
“At one point during the conversation, Turner produced a handgun demanding the money from the detective and additional property,” police said.
Pollard stayed in the driver’s seat of the other car and repositioned his car behind the detective’s car.
Carter ordered the detective to open the trunk to “look for the money that was to be used in the transaction,” police said.
Carter and Turner then “took property from the detective,” including money, and got back into the car driven by Pollard.
They tried to flee as police converged on their car and tried to arrest them.
Police and the men then exchanged gunfire, police said, without specifying which of the men are believed to have fired.
Carter and Pollard were both shot and were taken to hospitals. Carter died Sunday. Pollard was still hospitalized Wednesday, police said. Information on the nature of his injuries was not released. No officers were hurt.
Additional details on the shooting will be released, the department said.
Police say they later found two handguns, including one that was “illegally modified to be fully automatic with an extended magazine.”
Lawyer for Carter's Family, Police Release Video Footage
A lawyer for Carter's family, Joshua Wilson, released on Monday a minute-and-45-second-long video clip from a neighbor’s home surveillance camera that shows the men’s encounter with police.
Police released a 12-minute clip on Wednesday that appears to have come from the same camera. Viewers may find it disturbing.
In the longer clip, a small black car can be seen parked near a light-colored sedan on a street with townhouses and a playground. Men can be seen getting into and out the black car and sedan as police described.
The driver of the black car begins to pull away but is blocked head-on by a silver van. A shot appears to be fired at the 4:16 mark of the video.
Officers with guns drawn can be seen getting out of the sedan, van and a third vehicle.
“Get on the ground!” a man can be heard shouting.
The black car suddenly reverses into two parked vehicles.
“Hands up!” men can be heard repeatedly shouting.
A man can be seen getting out of the black car with his hands up. For several minutes, officers stand with guns drawn behind a nearby car.
Pollard was charged with robbery resulting in a death. He also was found to be wanted after a carjacking in October 2021, police said.
Turner was charged with robbery resulting in a death and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
Turner’s lawyer said he could not immediately comment on the case. Online court records did not list a lawyer for Pollard. Both men are due in court in October.
Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact police.
