Va. Private Police Officer, Campus Security Officer Killed During Active Shooter Incident
BRIDGEWATER, Va. February 2, 2021
A private special police officer and a campus security officer have been killed during an active shooter situation at a small rural college in Virginia.
College officials reported that there was an active shooter on the Bridgewater College campus.
A Campus Law Enforcement Officer and a Campus Safety Officer were both shot and killed during this incident.
The officers have been identified as Campus Police Officer John Painter and Campus Safety Officer J.J. Jefferson.
A suspect is now in custody.
At approximately 1:20 p.m. Feb. 1, 2022, the Bridgewater College Police Department, Town of Bridgewater Police Department, Virginia State Police, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, City of Harrisonburg Police, Augusta Sheriff’s Office, Town of Dayton Police Department, FBI, and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries responded to a report of an active shooter on the Bridgewater College campus.
The initial report came in that there were two officers who had been shot and the armed suspect had fled the scene.
State and local law enforcement immediately responded to the campus and initiated a massive search operation for the suspect.
By 1:55 p.m., the male shooter was taken into police custody.
