Virginia law enforcement worker killed in shootout with deputies after murdering family of teen he had catfished, police say - NBC News

A Virginia instrumentality enforcement idiosyncratic was killed successful a shootout with deputies successful California aft helium allegedly killed the parent and grandparents of a teenage miss helium had catfished online, constabulary said Sunday.

The idiosyncratic had driven disconnected with the miss aft the killings, constabulary said.

Officers were initially called to the La Sierra South vicinity successful Riverside, California, connected Friday conscionable aft 11 a.m. to cheque connected the payment of a miss who appeared distressed portion getting into a reddish Kia Soul with a man, the Riverside Police Department said successful a quality release.

While officers were responding, constabulary began to person calls astir a structural occurrence conscionable a fewer houses distant from wherever the payment telephone was reported, they said.

The Riverside Fire Department arrived astatine the residence to find a occurrence connected the archetypal floor. When they made introduction they discovered 3 big victims lying connected the ground, constabulary said.

"Their bodies were pulled extracurricular wherever it was determined they were victims of an evident homicide," the Riverside Police Department said, adding that firefighters were capable to enactment the occurrence out.

During a preliminary investigation, detectives recovered retired that the miss described successful the archetypal payment telephone had lived astatine the location wherever the 3 radical were recovered dead, constabulary said.

Authorities were besides capable to place the antheral she was seen with arsenic 28-year-old Austin Lee Edwards of North Chesterfield, Virginia, who detectives learned had worked for the Virginia State Police until being precocious employed astatine the Washington County Sheriff’s Office successful Virginia.

Several hours later, authorities were capable to way Edwards' conveyance arsenic helium was driving with the teen done San Bernardino County successful the unincorporated country of Kelso.

When deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department caught up Edwards, the fishy fired gunshots astatine them, earlier being fatally changeable by astatine slightest 1 deputy, constabulary said. Edwards was pronounced dormant astatine the scene, they said.

The teen was unharmed and was placed into protective custody of the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, constabulary said.

"Detectives determined Edwards had met the pistillate teen done the communal signifier of online deception known arsenic 'catfishing,' wherever idiosyncratic pretends to beryllium a antithetic idiosyncratic than they really are," the Riverside Police Department said.

Police said it was believed Edwards had developed an online narration with the teen and was capable to get her idiosyncratic information.

He travelled from Virginia to Riverside, wherever helium parked his conveyance successful a neighbor's driveway and walked to the teen's home, astatine immoderate constituent sidesplitting her mother, gramps and grandma earlier walking backmost to his conveyance with the teen and leaving, constabulary said.

The slain household members were identified arsenic 69-year-old Mark Winek; his wife, 65-year-old Sharie Winek; and their daughter, 38-year-old Brooke Winek, constabulary said. The nonstop origin and mode of their deaths were inactive pending, they said. The origin of the occurrence astatine the residence was besides inactive nether investigation, but constabulary said it appeared to person been intentionally ignited.

A spokesperson for the Virginia State Police said Edwards entered its academy July 6, 2021, and graduated arsenic a trooper connected Jan. 21 of this year. He was assigned to Henrico County, which is wrong the Richmond Division, they said, earlier resigning connected Oct. 28. Asked for much accusation connected the circumstances situation Edwards' resignation, the spokesperson said authorities instrumentality prohibits authorities agencies from releasing thing different than a day of resignation.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office said successful a connection that Edwards was hired connected Nov. 16 and precocious began predisposition there. The bureau was getting acceptable to delegate him to the patrol division.

"Past employers and the Virginia State Police were contacted during the hiring processing," the sheriff's bureau said, "however, nary employers disclosed immoderate troubles, reprimands, oregon interior investigations pertaining to Edwards."

The bureau said it is presently assisting the Riverside Police Department successful California with this investigation. 

“It is shocking and bittersweet to the full instrumentality enforcement assemblage that specified an evil and wicked idiosyncratic could infiltrate instrumentality enforcement portion concealing his existent individuality arsenic a machine predator and murderer," Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis said. 

Police said the probe into the incidental was inactive ongoing. They asked anyone with accusation to interaction them and said those wishing to stay anonymous tin email RPDTips@RiversideCA.gov.

Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez encouraged families to speech to their children astir however to usage the net safely successful a connection shared astir the triple homicide.

“Our hearts spell retired to the Winek household and their loved ones during this clip of tremendous grief, arsenic this is simply a calamity for each Riversiders,” helium said. “This is yet different horrific reminder of the predators existing online who prey connected our children."