A Fairfax County detective shot a man in the Seven Corners area Tuesday night while trying to arrest him during an undercover drug investigation, police said.
The man shot was identified as Jeffrey Payne, 41, of Falls Church, Virginia. He was taken to a hospital and later a detention center, police said.
Authorities said officers were investigating "the illegal distribution of narcotics" when Payne arrived at the Seven Corners Shopping Center "to facilitate the sale of a predetermined quantity of narcotics."
When undercover detectives approached the car and tried to stop Payne and his passenger, 29-year-old Maurice Minor, the pair allegedly took off at high speed and jumped curbs.
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“They drove very recklessly,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said. “The suspect, and he had a front seat passenger in his car, was trying to get away, was trying to evade arrest, and that’s when our police officers stopped him.”
Detectives stopped the vehicle with a PIT maneuver, and police said they gave Payne and Minor "numerous verbal commands to show their hands."
"Payne disregarded these repeated commands and made furtive movements behind the wheel of the Acura," authorities said.
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That's when the officer fired, shooting Payne in the arm at around 10:45 p.m. in the 6100 block of Arlington Boulevard. He suffered an injury determined to be not life-threatening.
“One shot fired by us…. We do have one suspect hit in the arm,” a law enforcement official can be heard saying on recordings of communications to dispatchers.
Payne and Minor are each charged with possession with intent to distribute a schedule I/II drug.
No officers were injured, police said.
Many law enforcement officers were seen in the area overnight.
“This is an active investigation,” Davis said.
Under Fairfax County Police Department policy, any use of deadly force should lead to a criminal investigation by the Major Crimes Bureau and an administrative investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau.
Davis said the department will work with the commonwealth attorney’s office to review the shooting.
"It's a very thorough criminal investigation. It's a very thorough administrative investigation. We work hand-in-glove with our partners at the commonwealth attorney’s office, and we conduct a best-in-practice officer-involved shooting investigation," Davis said.
The detective who shot Payne is an 11-year veteran of the force who was put on administrative leave, police said. Authorities said the name will be released within 10 days of the shooting "unless there is a credible threat to the safety of those involved or if additional time is required to thoroughly complete the risk assessment process."
Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in a statement: "We take every incident in which an officer shoots and individual very seriously and believe that our community deserves a comprehensive review of all such instances."
People who identified themselves as family members of the person shot told News4 they questioned whether the detective clearly identified themselves as law enforcement.
This is the fifth police-involved shooting in Fairfax County this year. The county has had as many police-involved shootings in the first eight months of 2022 as they did in the last four years combined.
Of the five police-involved shootings in Fairfax County so far this year, two were ruled justified, and three are still under investigation.
