Tacketts Mill Road shooting of teen by Stafford deputies “justified,” say commonwealth attorneys

Friday, Dec. 14 | By Mark Grandstaff

The Nov. 2 shooting death of Evan Newsom, 17, in his Tacketts Mill Road home by Stafford sheriff's deputies was justified, according to a joint report from the Commonwealth Attorneys of Fauquier and Stafford counties.

Fauquier and Stafford deputies went to Tacketts Mill Road to investigate a car crash at its intersection with Aquia Road. Newsom crashed a Hyundai Elantra there after a fight with his mother. Both Fauquier and Stafford deputies responded because Tacketts Mill Road lies on the border of the two countiees.

According to the attorneys' report, the deputies found Newsom "highly intoxicated and violent," armed with a knife. Newsom reportedly attacked a Stafford deputy with a knife, cutting his sleeve and arm. In response, two Stafford deputies opened fire on Newsom, killing him.

"The attack was a clear, direct and imminent attempt to kill or do grave bodily harm to the deputy, and was obviously so perceived by the deputies . . . Under the circumstances the killing constituted a justifiable homicide in self-defense," the report reads.

Before the shooting, Newsom had assaulted his mother and a neighbor. He brandished a knife and "made statements such as 'It's over,' 'I'm not going to jail,' 'just shoot me,' and 'I'm not going down like that.'"

In the past, Newsom had assaulted his mother with a knife, according to the report. It also describes Newsom's history of self-injury, and that he told his mother that he would "never go back to Department of Juvenile Justice, saying 'They would have to kill me.'"

Before the shooting, Newsom wrote a note suggesting something was going to happen and asked others to "carry on my dream," according to the report. The attorneys decided the facts showed Newsom had intended to have a fatal encounter with police.

"The death of any young person is a tragedy," the report's conclusion reads. "Unfortunately on Nov. 2, 2012 Evan Newsom placed the deputies responding to his violent acts in a position where it was necessary for them to use deadly force. His death was a justifiable homicide in self-defense."

UPDATE: The full report on the Tacketts Mill Road shooting is available for download here: Tacketts Mill Road Shooting Report

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