Sailor shot, killed when hit-and-run investigation turns deadly
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A hit-and-run investigation turned deadly Friday night when a U.S. Navy sailor was shot and killed by a Virginia air station security officer investigating base damage near the scene of the accident.
The sailor, who was not identified, was shot at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach and died soon after at a nearby hospital, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
The man was struck by a security officer who fired “for his safety and for the safety of other personnel in the area,” NAS spokeswoman Jennifer Colaizzi told The Daily Press. Colaizzi didn’t cite a specific action taken by the sailor that prompted the shooting and noted the incident remained under investigation.
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The episode began when Virginia Beach Police were called to a hit-and-run at an intersection near the air station just before 10 p.m. on Friday. No injuries were reported but police obtained a description of the vehicle that fled the scene, The Pilot reported.
During the initial investigation, police notified air station security officers after discovering damage to a base gate more than a mile from where the accident occurred. Security officers responded at 10:15 p.m. and found the man, who was then shot.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Virginia police couldn’t confirm to Fox News that the hit-and-run suspect and the man who was shot were the same person; however, the sailor’s vehicle bore a resemblance to the description of the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run, WAVY reported.