LYNCHBURG, Va. — Law enforcement officers won't face charges in the fatal shooting of a woman who pointed a gun at them as she exited her burning home, a Virginia prosecutor announced Monday.
Chelsae L. Clevenger-Kirk, 29, died after multiple officers fired at her as she exited a burning home and brandished a handgun at law enforcement following an overnight standoff in November, according to Monday’s report from Bedford County Commonwealth’s Attorney Wes Nance and a Virginia State Police news release last year.
The News & Advance reports that the officers won't be identified because an investigation couldn't determine which weapon fired the fatal shot and the prosecutor’s legal analysis showed they acted “appropriately and with justifiable use of lethal force."
On Nov. 6, a Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources conservation officer tried to stop Clevenger-Kirk, who was driving a motorcycle without a helmet and not displaying a license plate, according to the report. Clevenger-Kirk went home, where officers tried to resolve the situation without lethal force.
She came out on several occasions, held a gun to her head, threatened law enforcement and told officers to shoot her. After a fire began inside, Clevenger-Kirk stepped outside, pointed a gun at officers and was fatally shot, the report said.
