Three Pittsylvania County Deputies Injured by Shrapnel in Blue Jay Lane Standoff
- BTW21
- 3 hours ago
- 1 min read
PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. — A suspect accused of opening fire on law enforcement, injuring three deputies with shrapnel, is now facing a felony charge of Attempted Aggravated Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer.
According to court records, James Andru Lehnerd was arrested on Wednesday, August 13, after Pittsylvania County deputies came under gunfire while attempting to serve warrants and a protective order at a home in the 600 block of Blue Jay Lane.
Sheriff Mike Taylor said that as deputies approached the residence, they were immediately met with gunfire.
Shrapnel struck three deputies, sending one to the emergency room out of caution.
All three sustained only superficial injuries and have since been released.
Following an hours-long standoff, Lehnerd surrendered without further incident and was taken into custody.
He is currently being held in jail and is expected to be arraigned on Thursday, August 14, according to the Pittsylvania General District Court.
Virginia State Police are leading the investigation. Sgt. Rick Garletts said evidence is being collected and Lehnerd is being interviewed.
He added that the deputies involved are seasoned officers who followed standard safety procedures , noting that the outcome could have been far worse.
BTW21 will continue to update this story as new information becomes available.