Wintergreen police officer shot and killed during confrontation

WINTERGREEN — A Wintergreen police officer was shot and killed Friday night after responding to an emergency call about an assault in Wintergreen Resort, per a press release from Virginia State Police. Three other people, including the suspect in the shooting, were injured in the incident.

Shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, a call came into the Wintergreen Police Department that an adult male had assaulted two other adult males at a residence on Arrowood Lane, the release said. After calling police, the two injured males fled the residence on foot. Police said that both are being treated at UVA Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries.

Virginia State Police, investigating the incident at the request of the Wintergreen Police Department, said that it appears the first Wintergreen Police Officer to arrive at the residence located the adult male suspect in the nearby woods and a struggle ensued. During the confrontation, the officer was shot and died at the scene, per police.

Thirty-one year old Mark Christopher Wagner II of Stuarts Draft was the officer killed, according to a Facebook post by Dennis Russell, Wintergreen Police chief.

"Chris asked for and worked the midnight shift. Whenever you saw Chris in the daylight, he wore dark dark sunglasses, and would crack a smile or two," Dennis wrote in the post. "Chris was dedicated to his job and whenever called for extra duty he was ready, willing and able."

Wagner was a 2010 graduate of Spotswood High School. He'd been with the Wintergreen Police since August 2020 after seven years with the Massanutten Police Department, where he started as a gate attendant and then became an officer after graduating from Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Academy in May of 2019.

The male suspect was taken into custody without further incident by Wintergreen Police and the Nelson County Sheriff's Office, the release said. The male suspect was suffering from a non-life threatening injury and was transported to UVA Medical Center for treatment.

The officer's department-issued firearm was recovered at the scene in the woods. The investigation remains ongoing at this time, the release said.

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Wintergreen police officer shot and killed during confrontation