The Washington Post
November 19, 2009 Thursday
Suburban Edition
Man killed by Fairfax officer had no gun;
Police aren't saying why suspect was shot after theft of
flowers
BYLINE: Tom Jackman
SECTION: METRO; Pg. B03
LENGTH: 608 words
The man who was shot and killed by a Fairfax County police
officer Friday did not have a gun, police acknowledged Wednesday, and police
again declined to say why the officer fired on the man.
David A. Masters, 52, of Fredericksburg was in his Chevrolet
Blazer sport-utility vehicle on Route 1 in the Huntington area when a Fairfax
officer tried to pull him over. Masters, who was suspected of stealing flowers
from a landscaping business in Mount Vernon, stopped and then continued toward
the intersection of Fort Hunt Road, where he ran into heavy traffic, police
said.
Then he was shot and killed, police said. Five days after
the incident, police officials have not said whether Masters got out of his
vehicle, made any threatening moves or comments, or had a weapon, although a
news release Wednesday said that "preliminary results indicate no gun was
found inside Masters' car."
Gail Masters, his ex-wife, said Wednesday: "That's not
shocking. He never owned any weapons."
Police confirmed Wednesday that they have interviewed the
officer who fired the fatal shots. He was interviewed by detectives Tuesday
morning with his attorney, Edward J. Nuttall, sources familiar with the case
said. Officer Bud Walker said he did not know what the officer told the
investigators. The officer's name has not been released.
Masters was a former Army Green Beret and the son of a
retired U.S. Army colonel. He had long suffered from bipolar disorder, his
family said. He also had a massive heart attack in 2007 and had a pacemaker
installed.
Gail Masters said police told her that David Masters had
opened his jacket during the traffic stop and that the officer might have
thought he was reaching for a gun.
"He never even owned a pocketknife," Gail Masters
said. "He never hurt anyone. He never fought anyone."
David Masters was wearing his Army beret, which can be seen
on the ground outside his Blazer in photos taken after the shooting. A large
hole in the left rear passenger window can also be seen.
Masters' immediate family -- his parents, brother and two
sisters -- released a statement Tuesday through their attorney, Jon E. Shields.
"The family is not currently in a position to comment
on the actions of the police officers involved in David's death," the
statement says. "However, at this point, our family has not been provided
with any information from which we can conclude that David engaged in any
conduct which would justify the use of deadly force against him."
The statement concludes that the family will wait for the
results of investigations by the police homicide unit, the police internal
affairs division and the Virginia medical examiner's office before reaching any
conclusions about "David's senseless death."
After the shooting, three officers were placed on
administrative leave with pay. Fairfax police Wednesday corrected an earlier
misstatement that none of the officers had been interviewed. The two officers
who were nearby, but did not fire at Masters, were interviewed Friday, police
said, and the officer who shot Masters agreed to be interviewed with his
attorney.
Police previously had said that he had declined to be
interviewed.
Two of the three officers have returned to normal duties,
police said Wednesday, and the third will be placed on administrative duties
when he returns to work next week. Walker said personnel rules prohibited him
from specifying which officer was not returning to patrol duties.
The officer who shot Masters is 26 years old, has six years'
experience and is assigned to the Mount Vernon district. The other officers are
27 with three years' experience and 38 with 15 years' experience, police
said.