LORTON, Va. — Prosecutors have reviewed bodyworn camera footage from a February shooting by a Fairfax County Police officer and have decided not to file any charges against the officer.
A man believed to be living out of a minivan was shot by Officer Trevor Jones in Lorton, Virgina on Feb. 15, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Bodycam footage of the incident was released to the public on March 16.
FCPD Chief Kevin Davis said officers were initially called to the 8300 block of Fitt Court around 8:05 a.m. after a resident reported a suspicious van parked in the area for at least a day. Two responding officers arrived on the scene less than 10 minutes later, and said they could not see into the van because the windows were covered. One officer opened the rear door, and when announcing his presence, received no response. Because the car had stolen plates, the officers called for a tow truck.
As they were gathering information to complete the tow report, Davis said the tow truck driver opened the van's driver-side door. A man later identified by police as Michael Vaughn threw a blanket off himself in the backseat and got out of the van, armed with a rifle.
Both Officer Jones, the second responding officer and the tow truck driver said Vaughn pointed the rifle at officers. Chief Davis said based on his review of the body camera footage, officers told the man to drop the gun several times before Jones fired three shots at Vaughn, shooting him twice.
"Officer Jones had a reasonable fear of serious injury or death for himself and others involved," wrote Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano. "It was therefore legally permissible for Officer Jones to use the level of force he employed. Accordingly, I find no violations of criminal law on the part of Officer Jones and decline to bring any criminal charges against him."
Vaughn was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. He remains in police custody, facing charges that include assaulting police.
Police believe Vaughn was living in his van for an extended period of time. Davis said investigators found many items inside the vehicle, including what appeared to be dark curtain rods to separate the two front seats from the back of the van. All of the suspect's personal belongings were inside and the van's windows were tinted which made the interior of the van hard to see.
Davis believes no one, including the 9-1-1 caller, knew that there was someone in the van.
"It's unnerving because this is a very safe neighborhood and things like this don't happen in our neighborhood," neighbor Christine Becker said after the shooting.