HollyMatkinStafford, VA – A Fredericksburg man allegedly shot and killed his wife before he led officers on a high-speed pursuit that ended in a violent crash, police said.
Police released dashcam footage of the pursuit on Friday, WTTG reported (video below).
Investigators said that Gregory Lee, 42, shot and killed his wife, Melissa Lee, at their Fredericksburg apartment on the morning of Dec. 28, 2017.
A short while later, Virginia State Police Trooper Z.G. Torrence saw Lee’s Ford Explorer, and attempted to stop him, police said.
Lee then led Trooper Torrence on a high-speed chase, and fired into the trooper’s patrol car.
One round penetrated the car’s windshield, and slammed into the officer’s seat. Miraculously, he was able to avoid being hit, and suffered no injuries.
Stafford County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) Deputy Cody McCormick then pulled behind Trooper Torrence with his dashcam activated, WRC-TV reported.
“[McCormick’s] entering on to the interstate, getting behind the black SUV, the Ford Explorer, not knowing that just 2 miles down the road the subject had fired upon the trooper,” SCSO Sheriff David Decatur said.
The video recorded as the officers pursued Lee, who at one point slowed down to fire at Deputy McCormick’s patrol car.
“He comes back almost at like a 45-degree angle, trying to get a position to fire a shot, which he did,” Sheriff Decatur said.
Deputy McCormick pulled his vehicle towards the right shoulder of the interstate as Lee prepared to shoot at him.
He said he saw Lee’s handgun as he pointed it out the driver’s side window, WRC-TV reported.
“Shots fired! I’m hit! I’m hit!” he said in the video.
The round had penetrated the Deputy McCormick’s windshield, and was later found lodged in the headrest of his seat, WTTG reported.
Lee then accelerated again, with the trooper and deputy close behind.
Moments later, Lee’s SUV swerved to the right, flipped onto its roof, and spun in the roadway.
Investigators said they believed Lee lost control of the vehicle when he shot himself in the head, WTTG reported.
He was taken to a hospital by helicopter, but died overnight.
Deputy McCormick was grazed in the neck by one of Lee’s bullets, WJLA reported. He and Trooper Torrence were otherwise uninjured.
According to WRC-TV, Melissa was shot three times in the chest, in what investigators described as a domestic dispute.
Lee and his wife knew each other since high school, and had been married for over a decade. They had two children, who were believed to be present in the home when their mother was murdered, WTTG reported.
Gregory Lee’s criminal history shows that he was convicted of assault on a law enforcement officer in 1996 and 2006, WTTG reported.
He also had prior convictions for eluding police, DUI, drug charges and hit-and-run.
In 1999, Lee was convicted of attempted rape, and was a registered sex offender.
You can see the video of the pursuit and shooting below: