The Winchester Police Department (WPD) has made public a Critical Incident Briefing video of the officer-involved shooting that occurred on November 11, 2020.
WPD officers were dispatched to the 2400 block of Massanutten Terrace just after 7:00 a.m. that day for a report of a man damaging a neighbor’s car with a sledgehammer. When officers arrived on scene, Eric Clark, 52, of Massanutten Terrace, exited his apartment with a rifle and fired several shots at them. A WPD officer was able to return fire with his patrol rifle, striking the male. Clark was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The Winchester Police Department is committed to transparency, and this video will show the community exactly what happened that day,” stated Chief John Piper. The video includes body-worn camera footage of the incident as well as the original call to 911, police radio traffic, photographs from the scene, maps, and a message from Chief Piper.
The Virginia State Police and the Winchester Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney each conducted investigations of the incident at the request of Chief Piper. On December 1, 2020, Commonwealth Attorney Marc Abrams released a statement proclaiming that “…the officer’s actions in this case were clearly Justified…based on all the evidence provided, it is the position of the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney that no charges will be presented to the Grand Jury pertaining to this matter.” The full statement, as well as past updates on this case, can be read on the WPD website. The video can be viewed on the WPD Facebook page or the City’s YouTube channel.