Budding rocket surgeon Elvis Gene Shifflett has been captured by police after a massive manhunt yesterday afternoon. Shifflett, wanted for attempting to kill his ex-girlfriend in Court Square last week, was pulled over by police yesterday for driving with two different license plates on either end of his car. He sped off, ditched his car on route 20 just south of Piedmont Virginia Community College, and took off on foot, prompting the police to order a lock down at nearby PVCC and MHS and shut down 20 and 53. Somebody told police that they’d seen a “muddy man” walking down a creek bed, which set them on his path. Police finally found him on Brookhill Ave at 6pm and shot him repeatedly; he’s now at the UVa hospital.
The Progress has a multimedia presentation that combines Matthew Rosenberg’s photos with narration by Lt. John Teixeira.
I got stuck in this traffic right after they first closed down the road (around 2:30pm- plus or minus). Saw a several police in marked and unmarked vehicles from multiple jurisdictions all with vests on and a few with shotguns out, at which point I decided it would probably be a while so locked my doors and hunkered down for the wait. Fortunately 20 was only “intermittantly” closed so the wait wasn’t longer than 20 minutes.
And I guess this proves one trueism; large megatropolis or small town the police always turn out in large numbers when someone turns rabbit.
And after all that I got over to the north side of town just in time to get stuck in traffic caused by a 4 car crash on 29N, north of the airport rd.
There’s nothing like a friday…
Other reports about this (I can’t remember which outlet- probably CH 29) mentioned his kid at Walton M.S., and that the middle school has gone to lock-down a couple times this week when he was in the area. Poor kid. I really hope he or she gets really good support.
He laid in wait for his girlfriend to come out of Domestic Court where he was supposed to stand trial for assaulting her and stuck a gun in her face and pulled the trigger, only her having her hand on the hammer saved her life. His brother Jeffrey is wanted for breaking into about 50 houses all around this area and is on the run. These brothers need to share a cell for a long, long time.
for a second there, I thought you guys were talking about that Elvis guy who worked at the whitespot. Boy I hope he never goes mad.
Police shot him repeatedly, but there’s no mention that he was armed. One would think that had he fired or threatened to fire the authorities would have made that apparent in their statements – since they said nothing about that, the assumption here is that he did not shoot and perhaps was not armed. Aren’t police supposed to be trained in non-lethal forms of capture?
The guy definitely needed to be captured, but a “shoot first” cowboy mentality is a little troubling. The state police have been asked to investigate, so perhaps we’ll learn more eventually.
If the assumption is factual, that the man was unarmed and a significant distance away from the police shooters, then the threat of imminent harm to anyone is difficult to conclude, but then the facts will out, I supopose, when the State Police do their job – although I have never been comfortable with police investigating this type case. “Blue ” syndrome.
In large megatropolis’s it’s called the “runner’s tax.” Usually it’s only a really bad beating. But when you get that many police with guns in one location sometimes the “runners tax” is a little bit higher.
He survived. So it wasn’t lethal.
Seriously though, this isn’t like the someone they were after was a “non-violent” offender. Like it or not the police are allowed to protect themselves when they feel threatened. If you are percieved by police to be armed and dangerous and the police shout at you “Don’t Move” but you move anyway… they have a split second to make a decision- are you turning to grab for a gun? or are you turning to flee? Well of course they’re going to assume gun. Shifflett created the situation by deciding to run. He could’ve walked into the police office with a criminal defence attorney and turned himself in. However I’m sure it wasn’t like he just laid there meek as a lamb on the ground and let them pump “X” number of bullets into him.
Yes, he survived, but there’s no guarantee of survival anytime somebody is shot, no matter where they’re shot.
Shifflett definitely created this situation – no quesiton about that. But we aren’t supposed to cavalierly shoot suspects without a clear and immediate threat – not a suspected threat, but a real one. It doesn’t sound like he was armed, which means he could have been tackled or hit with a stun gun.
Of course, if this had been two non-cops shooting somebody, the two shooters would have been separated immediately and questioned separately, with the questioners presuming wrongdoing and digging for facts to find out what happened. Instead, the State Police will meet a unified front and will close this one out quickly. Might be the correct result, might not be. Nevertheless, there’s nothing more to see here folks, go on back to your homes.
Alot of people are leaving comments concerning the situation with Elvis Shifflett. Some are appriciated and some are very hurtfull. The great thing about this country is everyone is entitled to their own opinion, however you should base your opinion on only the facts, not what the media and the C-ville police want you to believe. Elvis is one of the hardest working trust worthy friends I have ever met. He will go out of his way to help a friend or even a stranger. For a man to be gunned down by the very people who are supposed to protect us is shamefull. True Elvis may have broke the law but does that justify what has now happened? An unarmed man surrounded by 50 police officers , search dogs and a helicopter should be captured without incedent , not with an extreme amount of force. In my opinion I think that the police officers were sending a message to Jeff, Elvis’ brother. The crimes that these 2 brothers may or may not have committed are in no way connected so why are we seeing both of them on TV being portayed as the worlds most wanted criminals. No matter what Elvis has done it does not equal the amount of pain that these officers and these very rude comments that are popping up everywhere. To the comment about shouldn’t the officers have the right to protect themselves when they feel threatened, I agree for the most part but could’t they shoot a suspect in the leg or arm, and how many shots are needed for one man? To Elvis and his family ignore these senseless and hurtfull comments and look around at the support that is building for Elvis. We are all pulling for you and we’ll see you soon.
Stacy and Christina Roach
It’s nice that the man has friends, but let’s not forget that he attempted to murder his ex-girlfriend by shooting her in the face last week. If he was shot without cause (and we have no idea if that’s so — no information has come out about the incident itself), that’s a different matter altogether, but that doesn’t change that Elvis Shifflett doesn’t make for what you might call a sympathetic figure.
I don’t think that anyone in this discussion is defending the with police carte blanche. If there was wrongdoing in this incident, let’s hope the officers are made responible for it. No one here knows the complete details of his capture, except that it must have dramatic and horrific. I personally don’t believe that cops are trigger-happy in general. Whatever the reason for the police to use force, they must have had reason to believe he was threatening more people or threatening to hurt himself. It’s not easy to shoot someone in the leg like the movies, unfortunately.
Stacy and Christina, I appreciate that you know Elvis Shifflett better than most, but one has to remember that he had become a public threat this week, a failing to appear in court for domestic violence charges, attacking the same woman on a city street, and causing lock-down at several schools in the area while police looked for him. Regardless of his brother’s deeds, his capture is probably a good thing.
What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty. True there was an altercation between Elvis and his ex girlfriend but does anyone really know what happened except for the 2 of them? I think the thing that bothers me the most is the fact that not even Elvis’ kids or his own mother are allowed to know his condition. Regardless of what he may or may not have done why can’t his family know his condition? For anyone to say that Elvis Shifflett had become a threat this week you obviously use the media to attain all your info. Everything has been based on one persons accusations and everyone is taking that to heart. I’m not saying Elvis done the right thing by running or that he done the right thing by not showing up in court, but i am saying that rapest and killers have been treated better than this man and his family. Some have said his capture is probably a good thing, but I ask is it capture at any cost? An un-armed man is fighting for his life because he was shot not once but SEVERAL times, to me that is very excessive. The cops may have felt threatened I don’t know but I think one or maybe 2 shots would bring any man down. It’s sad to know that a domestic dispute has become such a public discussion from people who don’t know a thing about Elvis Shifflett or his family. I have had the privalge of working with Elvis in the past on several occasions and I could not have asked to be treated any better. Hopefully the state police will soon allow the doctors to give the family some information on Elvis’ condition, I don’t see what benifit that is doing anyone. I only ask that if you want to judge someone think of how someone else may be judging you. Everyone makes mistakes, my only hope is if I ever do I hope it’s not in C-ville.
Yes indeed what happened to “innocent until proven guilty?” You are passing judgement on law enforcement officers without any known facts.
Mr. Shifflet ran. He attempted to evade law enforcement for how long? He created the situation that led to this outcome. He could’ve avoided it by submitting to the legal process at any time. And he too will get an opportunity to face judgement in a court of law- in spite of his attempts to avoid that.
Two shots qualifies as “Shot several times.” He’s in the hospital because he tried to evade law enforcement. He brought this on himself by his own actions. Taking positions against the police department at this point is to make assumptions not supported by any currently available facts.
As Waldo has said “…no information has come out about the incident itself…”
Sylvia wrote:
My understanding is that Police are trained to shoot at the “trunk” of the body with the goal of stopping the suspect and any danger. So if someone was shot in the leg by a law enforcement officer it was probably because of a bad aim rather than intentional effort.
Well, yeah — the witnesses to the murder that he attempted in broad daylight.
Never meant to judge Elvis as a person at all. I have no cause to say he’s a bad man, which I haven’t said and I don’t think anyone else has. However, whatever the dispute is/was, it has become public because it played out in public and became an issue for public safety. That happened when events moved from a courtroom to the street. See that’s all I know, or anyone else knows. He is and should be innocent until proven guilty by a jury. I certainly don’t think that people should be shot down by the police unless absolutely necessary. Point is, no one knows the details of what happened, so there’s not much point making judgements.
In case it needs clarifying, my comment about the kid at school was only about the idea that a personal or family trauma that had become very public and was affecting the daily operation of his/her school. That sounds like it would be very upsetting for a kid, but I wouldn’t presume to know anything about the family. I especially feel that their privacy should be respected. So, I apologize for stoking that fire.
It’s my feeling that the families of people who commit violence are victims as well. Let’s hope the family gets the info they need to start healing.
To trvlnmn, so I assume that by your reply that in your eyes that whenever ANY fugitive makes a run for it then it’s okay to shoot them down, no matter what the charge. That’s crazy no one deserves to be treated that way. If a man was armed and he was threatening the officers then i can understand. They to have families at home and they certainly have the right to defend themselves. Several shots to me is more like 4 or 5 not the 2 that I referred to earlier. Elvis was shot 4 or 5 times in vital areas, and did i mention that he was UNARMED. Waldo has said that the witness to the incedent knows what happened between Elvis and his ex girlfriend, but they only know what they seen from afar. No one was close enough to hear anything. I’m not passing any judgement on the 2 officers i’m only saying that was 4 or 5 shots needed to take down an unarmed man. You and everyone needs to put yourselves in the families and Elvis’ shoes, and think how you would feel if this was your brother or son, or just a friend. If the situation went as routine as any other situation then why all of the hush hush. Why don’t they tell the exact # of shots, why don’t they tell where he was hit, and most of all why don’t they tell the family Elvis’ condition, seems pretty sneaky to me. Every time they talk of this on the news they show Jeffs’ picture as well, the 2 are just brothers their crimes were not related or connected in any way. Is it fair to this family to keep showing another wanted family member for unrelated crime. The issue here is Elvis Shifflett not Jeff Shifflett. True Elvis could have turned himself in but he chose not to, I just don’t think that this should have went down this way at all, running does not give anyone the right to shoot to kill. With that many officers, dogs , and a chopper, there was no reason for a surrounded man to escape, he could have been attacked by the dogs or several officers or stun gun, or even mace. Unarmed people should never be shot 4 or 5 times.
We aren’t speaking about ANY fugitive, we are speaking about Mr. Shifflett. My comments are to that situation specifically and not any “hypotheticals.” I am stating that Mr. Shifflett is responsible for the outcome of his situation, him and no one else.
No evidence about the shooting has been made available to the public so right now we have only your word that he was unarmed (and you may have access to information I do not- but for now my comments are reflective of the information that is public). In any event the police could not “know” that he was unarmed and was not an immediate threat to them- especially based on his prior behavior.
Yes. It is fair. The police are trying to generate leads which will assist them in locating another wanted man. Were these men fair to any of the people they are charged for committing crimes against (if not by actually committing the actual crimes then by trying to avoid the legal process to determine their guilt or innoccence)?
As it is it’s only been two days since the shooting (as of this post) so it’s still way to early to start crying “cover up.” I am sure the police will be releasing more details in due time.
Ultimately these men are responsible for the pain and suffering caused to their families not the police. They could’ve avoided it all and turned themselves in.
I’m not trying to make everyone see things my way, i’m just saying that it didn’t need to happen this way. Elvis may be responsible for any crime he committed but he WAS SHOT 4 OR 5 TIMES and HE WAS UNARMED, and when they release the report on this case you and everyone else will see that also. I’m not saying that he shouldn’t pay for his crimes but only it went down excessively. You say you are sure in due time that the police will release information on this case, well that is true but i don’t think keeping the condition of Elvis from his own mother and children will harm the case in any way, that don’t sound like a cover up to you? The condition of Elvis won’t be on trial if he pulls through all of this so why can’t his family know his condition. This is the first time anyone has ever heard of the police not letting the family make vital decisions concerning the health of their loved one. The police did know he was unarmed because they were told by the person who was with Elvis when all of this went down, true they can’t take the word of a person they don’t know but they could have passed that word around and still use caution. I agree these 2 men alone are responsible for the charges against them no one told them to break the law, I just don’t think that the situation should have went this way. Does anyone really think that after what happened to Elvis with his encounter with the police that Jeff will ever turn himself in, I think not.
I, for one, will look at the police report of the shooting with acute interest. I must recall the January 2001 incident in which Albemarle police shot and killed a mentally-ill man who was armed only with a pitchfork.
[…] Archive tape of WINA’s Rob Graham reporting live from the Shifflet manhunt By Sean Tubbs Police shot fugitive Elvis Gene Shifflet during a manhunt in the afternoon of October 20. WINA’s Rob Graham was on the scene near Piedmont Virginia Community college, and reports in this edition of Charlottesville–Right Now. At about eight minutes in, you can hear shots being fired. There’s a good discussion of this going on at cvillenews.com. Listen Now: […]
Check out that last trackback from Charlottesville Podcasting Network. You can hear gunshots fired from the 9:29 mark through the 9:32 mark.
There are three situations I can think of as to why the police wouldn’t let “the family” in on the medical decision making. (and I’m not saying either of these are the case).
1) they suspect the family of assisting his flight to evade justice.
2) they don’t want the family to make “Right to Die” type decisions not to have medical treatment, which would enable him in an extreme way to avoid the judicial process.
Thirdly, he’s not like the standard patient at a private hospital. He’s technically in the custody of the police (and/or state). So you have to ask yourself – “If this were a Prison hospital would the family be allowed to visit him and make medical decisions on his behalf?” While I don’t know with any legal authority, I think that answer would be a resounding “No.”
I’m glad to see this discussion include contributions from friends of Elvis Shifflett because I think too often discussions of police conduct don’t include the perspective of the hunted (so to speak). Even those of us who’ve never been in trouble with the police (and have never had friends/family members in trouble) should try to imagine what that would be like.
That said, I do see one thing in this discussion that bothers me: the second-guessing of police officers. Just as I’ve never been the hunted myself, I’ve also never been the hunter, and I try to imagine what that would be like–your job consists of confronting potentially dangerous people, you have to be prepared to defend yourself and other citizens, etc. It would be awfully easy for me, not having to experience this kind of job on a daily basis, to sit back and critique (aw, they could easily have handled the situation with one shot rather than multiple shots, they could have aimed at the legs, they could have avoided shooting entirely), but I think that kind of Monday morning quarterbacking misses the point that we weren’t there. Police officers make decisions based on their training but also under the duress of unique and highly stressful circumstances.
Also, I think we have to acknowledge that whenever one party escalates the level of intensity (by running away), that party has to expect that the other parties are going to elevate their level of intensity. A guy who runs is, in the police’s eyes and the public’s eyes, a potentially more dangerous person than one who turns himself in. A guy who skips a court hearing but confronts his complainant with a gun outside the court building is automatically viewed as a more dangerous person than one who just goes to the court hearing. I don’t see anything unfair or irrational in the police viewing Shifflett as a very dangerous person based on his actions up to that point, and treating him accordingly.
I was talking to a friend about this today, specifically about the matter of the police’s shoot-to-kill policy. He made the point that if he were forced to fire at somebody in his home, he would make no attempt to wing the burglar. He would shoot to kill. I had to agree.
This has been a very interesting discussion. I think we need to keep in mind that police do get shot and killed in manhunt situations as happened in August in Blacksburg. The behavior of Elvis Shifflett in the week before his capture did indicate that he was dangerous.
As is often the case, this appears to be a domestic crisis which escalated out of control and which may not be at all typical of this suspect’s overall life. This might be a good time to realize that life can spiral out of control in any family.
It’s really nice to see that so many of you are quick to judge Elvis and not even know what kind of man he really is. I to was quick to judge someone just by the media and not knowing the person or the real facts of a situation. But by well knowing Elvis as a good hearted person I have learned my lesson about judging someone so quickly(hope none of you have to learn your lesson this way as I have). Elvis should not have pulled a gun on his ex-girlfriend I do agree but if he wanted her dead she would be dead it was just a BB gun anyway. Elvis loves her with all his heart and it was a domestic dispute that got out of hand. His ex-girlfriend is actually standing by Elvis and is sorry that all of this has happened, she stated that if she could turn back time it would not have ended this way. She is actually going to get a lawyer in his defense. The family does know a little more about Elvis’ condition but would still like the chance to see him. No matter what Elvis has done good or bad his family still loves him with all of their hearts.
How do you know this to be so? This is the first mention I’ve seen indicating this. I only have one BB gun and one rifle, so I don’t have much to base this on, but I’m not aware of any BB guns that have a firing pin. (You’ll recall that the ex-girlfriend’s hand was injured when she had the presence of mind to jam it between the hammer and the firing pin.) BB guns, being pneumatically powered, have no hammer.
I know it was just a BB gun because the ex-girlfriend told family members that it was only a BB gun. From what I’ve heard she is all for Elvis and the family appreciates the love and support that she has given to the family during all of this. She wished it never even happened.
“That said, I do see one thing in this discussion that bothers me: the second-guessing of police officers.”
Actually, I WANT my police officers to know that without a doubt they will be second-guessed anytime they use potentially lethal force on anybody for any reason whatsoever. We invest in our police the power and means to kill. We put them out on the street, typically without direct supervision, and expect them to do the right thing and make the right decisions. Even if every police shooting that ever occured had been proven to be justified (which most definitely isn’t the case), I would want the next one to be thoroughly investigated in the clear light of day – if for no other reason than to maintain the public’s faith in the police.
Shooting somebody isn’t something that typically occurs in the course of a cop’s day. It’s something that has to be the last-resort action or reaction, and its incumbent upon the government to determine that such force was used properly. Because sometimes it isn’t.
I realize that this is a discussion about police and lethal force. And like Gail said, “As is often the case, this appears to be a domestic crisis which escalated out of control and which may not be at all typical of this suspect’s overall life. This might be a good time to realize that life can spiral out of control in any family.”
However, this IS Domestic Violence Month. I am sure that when Elvis is a happy person and everything is going well in his life, he may well be the person that Scrubs describe. But obviously something happened between Elvis and his GF for her to file charges. I have watched a family member be in a similar situation and withdraw the complaint because he either apologized and said he would never do it again, the families said let it go, he’s normally a good person, and so forth.
I’m sure that this woman feels terrible guilt about how this ended up. But the point is this: no one made him pull ANY kind of a gun on her (and you can look at many news report of people being shot for having a firing pistol, toy guns, etc.).
I remember how the police used guns on a mentally ill man waving , what a pitchfork, and goodness, there’s enough on this site along about Albemarle Co. Police.
As for the comments about the rest of this guy’s family, I’m sorry but reading Scrubs’ comment, “Elvis should not have pulled a gun on his ex-girlfriend I do agree but if he wanted her dead she would be dead it was just a BB gun anyway. Elvis loves her with all his heart and it was a domestic dispute that got out of hand” made me feel ill.
If he wanted her dead, she’d be dead. Great. It’s “just” a BB gun? That’s what the abuser in our family said — and he said he didn’t mean anything by pulling out a shotgun on my relative and waving it around and aiming it at her. “If I wanted her dead, she’d be dead,” according to our ex-family member. (He claimed later he was going to shoot a bat in the house.)
Sorry, Scrubs, I’m sure that there’s a lot of decent things about everyone but it looks and smells like a big case of domestic violence that has been brewing for a while. I’m sorry she’s sticking by him but that’s part of the pathology in this.
I’ll get back on topic if the police reacted appropriately or inappropriately. I hope they did act appropriately because frankly I’d hate to see a lawsuit (and see him get $$) but past evidence and Magic 8-ball says it’s possible.
To Redhead, First of all the police did act inappropriately they SHOT an UNARMED man and I hope the there is a huge lawsuit and that Elvis will never have to work another day in his life. Who are you to compare your families domestic violence to Elvis and his ex-girl friend when you have no idea what’s going on in their lives anyway. Maybe your situation was a lot worse than Elvis’. Elvis is a good hearted person would give you the shirt off of his back, the kind of man that everyone loved and loved to be around. If Elvis seen that you needed something no matter how big or small he would go out of his way and get if for you. You and many of the others who reply really have no idea what’s going on in the situation anyway. You hear what the media wants you to hear, you don’t know all the facts.
Stop telling us that we “don’t know all the facts” and start telling us the facts that you think we should know. It’s a poker game, scrubs — it’s time to show your cards.
To all of you who feel the need to reply to Elvis Has Left the Building, good or bad the fact is the Elvis Gene Shifflett is my uncle and I’m very proud of that fact. Elvis’ family loves and supports him through all of this. Yes, I do have more of the facts than any of you, at this time I will not share the facts with you, you can continue watching and reading the comments being made by the media. Elvis in nothing like Jeffery, the media is comparing the 2 in the same catergory but lets compare the actual criminal records. True Jeff is a criminal I do not agree at all with what he has done and what he will continue to do (stealing).Yes, he should be in jail. But Elvis is nothing like Jeff at all. It has been said that “It Runs in the Family” not true at all, my Grandmother has 9 children and not all 9 have been in trouble with the law. How do you base your opinion on an entire family based on the criminal acts of 2 individuals?
Then, for the love of God, stop telling us that you know more than us while criticizing us for not knowing what you know. If we don’t know what you know, it’s only because you haven’t told us. Which would make it your fault, not ours.
Actually, I think we should be interested in what Scrubs is saying. It is always important to realize the limits to what we know from media reports and also to remember the real pain which real families go through at such times. Both viewpoints are valuable, and neither has a monopoly on whatever the truth may be.
I do think that guilt by association is unfair. None of us can control how our relatives will behave and should not be held accountable for the behavior of adult family members.
To Gail, my family and I would like to thank you for the kind words that you have said we greatly appreciate it. We just hope that everyone felt the way that you felt. We are not proud of Elvis for what he has done but we do not love or think any less of him for it. We know that the media is making him out to be in our words “A MONSTER” but honestly he really isn’t. It’s not helping matters at all when they do talk about Elvis then right behind him the media focuses on his bother Jeff “WANTED and considered ARMED AND DANGEROUS.” He maybe the family doesn’t know, we don’t know where Jeff is that is the truth. But we don’t think that Elvis should be considered in the same criminal catergory as Jeff they’re nothing a like.