The Virginia State Police have confirmed Patricia A. Cook, 54, of Culpeper as the person shot dead in this morning's police altercation on North East Street.
Her remains have been transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Manassas for examination and autopsy.
According to the VSP, the officer became engaged in a physical altercation with Cook, driver of a Jeep Wrangler in the 300 block of North East Street. During the course of the altercation, the officer shot Cook.
No other details were available.
At about 9:53 a.m. a town police officer was called to investigate the report of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the former H & R Block building on North East Street — now the annex of Epiphany Catholic School.
According to Wally Bunker, spokesman for the Town of Culpeper, what happened next is not yet clear and the Virginia State Police are investigating the incident. Bunker said, per standard procedure, the officer involved in the accident has been placed on administrative leave.
According to witness Kris Buchele, who’s father owns a building directly behind the parking lot, the officer was talking to a person in a green late-model Jeep Wrangler when the driver began to roll up the window and pull away.
“The officer yelled ‘stop, stop or I’m going to shoot,’” Buchele recalled.
Buchele described the initial shot as “point blank” and said the officer then fired at least five more shots as the Jeep pulled out of the parking lot and onto North East Street.
The Jeep traveled up North East Street, past the intersection of East Spencer Street, and crashed into a telephone pole — where it came to rest.
Yellow tape was quickly placed, cordoning off the area as rescue squads responded to the vehicle. White sheets were quickly placed on the driver’s side of the vehicle as town police, Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia State police converged on the scene.
Witness Adam Forster, who lives on North East Street, said he heard loud yelling “for about a minute,” before eight or nine shots were fired.
He said he saw the police officer run up the street on foot, after the Jeep and saw it crash into the utility pole.
Buchele described the person in the Jeep, Cook, as having their hair pulled up in a bun.
As of 12:15 p.m. the scene was being cleared of pedestrians and the state police were continuing their investigation.
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