Virginia cop killed by police after he allegedly killed three people and abducted a teenager he caught

Here are the details of his employment schedule, according to CBS News. A Virginia State Police spokesperson said Edwards graduated from the academy as a private on January 21, 2022. He was assigned to Henrico County and resigned on October 28, 2022. He was reportedly still employed as a private when he applied to work in the sheriff’s office. He was hired by the sheriff’s office on November 16, 2022 and was in orientation. So, in other words: he got this job nine days before he allegedly killed three people and tried to get away with a teenager.

Even without all this confusion about the suspect, this crime is both deeply disturbing and deeply saddening. Edwards reportedly first met the teenager online, when she was living in California and he was across the country in Virginia. Edwards lied about his identity as they developed some sort of relationship (hence the “catfishing”), according to the Riverside Police Department.

Authorities believe Edwards drove to California on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, and burned down the family home, killing the teen’s mother and two grandparents. The precise cause of the fire and the causes of death of the girl’s family have not been determined, but they are currently believed to be victims of homicide. By the time police and firefighters arrived, the three adults – Mark Winek, Sharie Winek and Brooke Winek – were found on the ground outside the entrance to the home.

A neighbor told a local outlet KABC that she had seen Edwards and the teenager get into her car and noted that the girl had no shoes or pants on at the time. The neighbor was worried for obvious reasons, including that the girl couldn’t seem to speak and seemed to be crying.

“She looked and appeared a little distressed,” police department information officer Ryan Railsback told the outlet. “So it was concerning enough that these people called.”

By CNN, police believe Edwards killed the three adults before setting the house on fire and returning the girl to her car. Police said they do not believe the girl was involved in the house fire or the murders. She is now in custody.

And Edwards? According to a police press release, he and the girl were found several hours later while Edwards was driving. He was killed by deputies in a shootout with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

“It is shocking and saddening for the entire law enforcement community that such an evil and evil person can infiltrate law enforcement while concealing his true identity as a cyber predator and murderer,” said Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis said in a statement. Andis added that their “thoughts and prayers” are with family, friends and everyone affected by the “heinous crime”.

Here’s the thing. More than a little news coverage includes people reminding us at home to watch out for online predators – don’t give out too much information, don’t tell people where you live, etc. Obviously, this is good advice. But we have the impression, once again, that people are reluctant to discuss Discovery that police officers in the United States commit domestic violence at about 15 times the rate of the general population.

Attention, it is difficult to obtain figures on this subject for obvious reasons. But it’s a horrible number as it is. Based on these data – which are admittedly drawn from a small sample size – around 40% of police officers surveyed said they had been involved in domestic violence in the previous year. In a related study, about 40% of cops admitted to being violent with their spouse in the previous six months.

After sending love to the victims and their loved ones in a statement, Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez added in part, “This is yet another horrifying reminder of the predators existing online who attack our children. If you’ve ever had a conversation with your kids about being safe online and on social media, pick it up. If not, start it now to better protect them.

While it’s, again, fair to remind young people (and really people in general) to be careful about what they share online, it’s not like online safety is the only factor. here. Not by far.