WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – A former police officer is accused of shooting two Wythe County deputies on Tuesday night.
This happened during a domestic situation on Whippoorwill Road.
The suspect, Ricky Delk, is still in the hospital in serious condition as of 7 p.m. Wednesday night, according to Virginia State Police.
Delk was a police officer in Daytona Beach, Florida, from Feb. 24, 2008, to March 23, 2011, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.
The above picture is Delk in 2010, while he was still a police officer.
Even though both deputies, Chief Deputy Charles Foster and Deputy Chris Coleman, survived and have been released from the hospital, Sheriff Keith Dunagan said it could have easily taken a turn for the worst.
“One of the deputies heard a stick break and turned around. She saw him with a gun and was able to warn everybody else,” said Dunagan.
Delk fired and hit Foster and Coleman, according to Dunagan.
Foster was grazed in the arm, while where Coleman was hit was close to paralyzing or killing him.
“On his back, about two inches from his spine,” explained Dunagan.
Deputies immediately fired back and if they had waited, Dunagan said he was prepared to keep shooting.
“He had a long gun, and he had a lot of ammunition. It could have been terrible,” said Dunagan.
No charges have been filed against Delk at this time.
Foster did not want to talk to 10 News on the advice of his lawyer, but Dunagan has talked with him constantly since the shooting.
“He handled it well, and he’s still here to talk about it, so he did everything right,” said Dunagan. “They were put in a very dangerous predicament. He could have killed a lot of people.”
Although Foster is feeling well, he will not return to work until Virginia State Police finishes its investigation of the shooting.
Original Story
Two Wythe County deputies were shot while responding to a “domestic situation” on Tuesday night, according to the sheriff’s office. The suspect was also shot.
Authorities say deputies from the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia State Police responded to a domestic situation where a gun was fired at 586 Whippoorwill Road.
Responding officers were walking up to the home when two deputies were shot, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
They then returned fire, shooting the suspect.
Authorities said one deputy has been taken to Roanoke Carilion Memorial Hospital in serious condition. At about 12:30 p.m., Wythe County Sheriff Keith Dunagan told 10 News that this deputy is doing well and may be released Wednesday.
The other deputy has been released.
The suspect has also been taken to Carilion Memorial Hospital and is in serious condition.
This is an active investigation, according to Virginia State Police.