Commonwealth's Attorney: Use of Lethal Force Justified in Fatal Shooting of Purcellville Teen

A Purcellville police officer who fatally shot an apparently suicidal Purcellville teen acted with justifiable force, Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney James E. Plowman announced Thursday.

The announcement follows a monthslong investigation by Virginia State Police of the fatal shooting, the first in Purcellville Police Department’s history.

On May 24 around 2:15 p.m., the Purcellville Police Department responded to a report of a teen armed with a knife who was threatening to kill himself. Authorities said 17-year-old Christian Alberto Sierra, a junior at Loudoun Valley High school, was at a friend’s house on Frazier Drive in Purcellville when he appeared to grow depressed and began threatening to kill himself.

When Sierra reportedly began cutting his neck with a knife, his friend called 911 and tried to wrestle the knife away before the commotion spilled into the residence’s backyard.

A Purcellville police officer, identified by authorities as T. Hood, arrived to find the pair struggling and saw blood on both teens. 

Sierra advanced and pointed the knife’s blade at the officer, prompting Hood to fire a single shot. When the teen continued to approach the officer, he fired three more times, striking Sierra in the chest.

Sierra was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel, according to the report. Hood was not injured by the encounter and was placed on administrative leave pending the release of Thursday’s report.