VIRGINIA TROOPER SHOOTS, KILLS MOTORIST ON I-95

A police chase on Interstate 95 yesterday morning turned fatal when a state trooper shot the man he and a Stafford County Sheriff's Office deputy had been pursuing, said state police.Sgt. F.L. Tyler said the incident started at 8:39 a.m. yesterday, and six minutes later, when state and Stafford police were able to pull the driver over, the shot was fired.

The pursuit started when the Stafford deputy attempted to pull over a black Ford Taurus at northbound mile marker 139 on I-95 for having an expired registration, police said. When the car did not stop, state police joined in the pursuit.

After the Taurus finally stopped at mile marker 141, the state trooper began to get out of his car and the Taurus drove forward, hitting the trooper, state police said. The trooper then fired at the vehicle he had been pursuing. The male suspect, the only person in the Taurus, died at the scene. Police have not yet released his name.

The trooper, who police also have not named, was taken to Mary Washington Hospital with injuries, but was released later in the day. State police said he will be on paid leave while the incident is under investigation, which is "department policy." Tyler said there was another trooper in the vehicle with the one who fired shots, but did not give any information about him. Officials would not say how many shots were fired in the incident.

The Taurus' back right door was smashed and windows were broken. The state police cruiser's right front door was bent forward. The Stafford Sheriff's Office vehicle was also slightly damaged in the incident, but police did not give information about that damage. About six hours after the accident, police began allowing traffic back into the two left-hand lanes, which were closed while the accident was being investigated. VDOT and Stafford Sheriff's deputies directed traffic on U.S. 1 while the lanes were closed.