Investigations complete after shooting involving Fredericksburg Police officer

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — Both criminal and administrative investigations have been completed after an incident in which a man charged a police officer with the Fredericksburg Police Department while brandishing a knife and was shot by the officer.

At around 7:45 a.m. on July 21, the Fredericksburg Police Department’s E-911 Center received a report of a man brandishing a knife, physically assaulting an older man and demanding money from multiple people in the 1600 block of Sunken Road.

The E-911 Center then dispatched patrol officers to the incident. The initial officer who arrived, Gregory Baugher, found the man and ordered him to drop the knife. The offender, later identified as 34-year-old Taylor Lee Drew, ignored the officer’s commands and charged at Officer Baugher with the knife, according to Fredericksburg Police.

Police said Officer Baugher then fired a gunshot, which hit Drew. Additional officers arrived and gave medical care to Drew until medics arrived. EMS then took Drew to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Per Fredericksburg Police’s policy, Chief Layton of the Fredericksburg Police Department requested that Virginia State Police conduct a criminal investigation to determine whether the officers involved violated any laws. Upon completing their criminal investigation, State Police turned their findings over to Fredericksburg Commonwealth Attorney Elizabeth Humphries.

After reviewing the investigation by Virginia State Police, Humphries determined that the officer’s actions were legally justified and within Virginia Code Section 19.2-83.5 — which describes the cases in which the use of deadly force by a law-enforcement officer may be justified. Humphries concluded that the officer’s actions were not subject to any criminal prosecution.

After the criminal investigation ended, Chief Layton requested the Department’s Office of
Professional Standards investigate the incident to determine whether the officer’s actions were consistent with department policies. The investigation determined that the officer’s actions did not violate department directives.

Fredericksburg Police said Baugher has been employed with the Fredericksburg Police Department since 2019. The department said Officer Baugher has returned to the patrol division now that the investigations are complete.