Home Danville Police officer arrested, placed on leave, in connection with shooting
Region/State

Danville Police officer arrested, placed on leave, in connection with shooting

Chris Graham
police car
Photo: © Oleksandr/Adobe Stock

An off-duty Danville Police officer was arrested on Monday in connection with a shooting on South Main Street in Danville reported on Sunday.

Jayquan Morton, 22, a two-year veteran of the Danville Police Department, was arrested at 9:52 a.m. on Monday, after a multi-jurisdiction and multi-state effort to locate him throughout the day on Sunday and into this morning, according to a release from the Danville PD.

Morton was arrested without incident following a traffic stop in the City of Danville conducted by a Pittsylvania County sheriff’s deputy and a Virginia State Police trooper.

The reported shooting was called in Sunday morning, involving a vehicle being struck by gunfire while traveling southbound on South Main Street near the Route 29 Expressway.

The initial investigation found that a sedan was traveling southbound on South Main Street, occupied by a male and female victim, when a silver SUV sped up to them from behind.

As the SUV approached, multiple rounds were fired from the SUV into the sedan. Although the sedan sustained damage, the victims were not struck by the gunfire.

The suspect and one of the victims are known to each other, police said.

When evidence in this initial investigation pointed toward an off-duty officer of the Danville Police Department being a suspect in the shooting incident, Police Chief Chris Wiles made a request to the Virginia State Police to conduct the investigation.

Morton will be placed on leave without pay pending further administrative action.

Featured Video

 




Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected]. Support AFP by signing up for our newsletter and/or powering our work with a one-time or monthly contribution.

Latest News

acc football
Football

ACC Football: 11-game weekend schedule for Week 4 begins on Friday night

ben cline
Virginia Politics

Reese Bull | Ben Cline on the Supreme Court: Supreme, or supine?

In his email newsletter, Sixth District Congressman Ben Cline writes with pride about voting against Democratic-sponsored efforts to reform the Supreme Court.

healthcare
Trump's America

Dave Colton | On the subject of universal health care, I’m fed up with stupid

As I have gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate the phrase, “I don’t suffer fools gladly,” which means having little patience for people who are foolish, ignorant or incompetent. 

staunton
Local

Police: One dead in officer-involved shooting at Staunton Walmart

playground
Local

Michael Schoeffel | Hey, there, nice to meet you, we’re the cool parents

monarch butterfly on purple butterfly bush summer
Region/State

Butterfly Festival: Celebrate, mourn, whichever, the flight of the Monarchs

newport news vehicle
Region/State

Cold case: Virginia State Police looking for leads in Newport News murder