Holly MatkinBroadway, VA – A Rockingham County sheriff’s deputy working a second job as a Broadway police officer was shot four times during a traffic stop early Tuesday morning, according to investigators.
The attack occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 24, after the deputy stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation near the intersection of Brethren Road and Daphna Road, WHSV reported.
The driver, later identified as 34-year-old Randall Hopper, immediately opened fire on the deputy with a handgun as he was approaching the suspect’s vehicle, according to Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson.
Hopper then sped away down Daphna Road in a 2001 BMW four-door sedan, leaving the wounded deputy behind, WHSV reported.
The deputy’s injuries prevented him from being able to pursue the gunman, Sheriff Hutcheson said.
A nearby Timberville Police Department (TPD) officer spotted the fleeing suspect and started pursuing Hopper, WHSV reported.
At one point during the chase, the driver slowed down and a passenger bailed out of the car before the suspect vehicle took off again towards Lacey Spring Road, according to investigators.
As additional units converged in the area, Hopper allegedly shot himself while driving in the 8000-block of North Valley Pike, Sheriff Hutcheson said.
The suspect’s vehicle then traveled off of the roadway and into the grass.
The wounded deputy and Hopper were both transported to a local hospital before being flown to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, the News Leader reported.
Hopper was pronounced dead a short while later, according to WHSV.
According to investigators, Hopper was wanted for failing to appear on grand larceny charges in Rockingham County Circuit Court and was out on bond at the time of the attack, the Daily News-Record reported.
The wounded deputy has been stabilized, but remains in serious condition.
A fundraising campaign established to help him and his young family has raised over $22,500 so far.
The Virginia State Police (VSP) is handling the ongoing investigation into the incident with assistance from the RCSO, according to WHSV.
