Officers Edward Ferron and Savannah Simmons
Below is the footage released by the special prosecutor.
Two Lynchburg Police officers were charged in that officer-involved shooting.
Walker Sigler was shot in the leg after police said they were investigating an open door at his home on Link Road around 1:15 a.m. Saturday, February 17, 2018.
Officers with the Lynchburg Police Department said they approached the home and announced that they were there to investigate suspicious activity. One of the officers attorney's, Chuck Felmlee, said the officers then heard yelling and heavy foot steps as though someone was running toward them. They say it was Sigler who then slammed the door which made a loud clanging sound they believed to be a gun shot at the time. The officers fired four shots. One bullet hit Sigler and shattered his leg.
The Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Alexandria was appointed to investigate the case in conjunction with Virginia State Police.
He announced in June that Officers Edward Ferron, 41, and Savannah Simmons, 22, were both indicted on three felony counts of reckless handling of a firearm resulting in serious bodily injury, unlawful wounding and unlawful shooting at an occupied domicile.
At their trial on Monday, March 25 they both pleaded no contest to amended charges of reckless handling of a firearm.
A no-contest plea has the same immediate effect as a guilty plea and is often offered as a part of a plea bargain.
Ferron and Simmons were both found guilty of a misdemeanor reckless handling of a firearm charge. They were both sentenced to 12 months in jail each, with all time suspended, plus 100 hours of community service that must be completed by March 1, 2020.
The officers also cannot have contact with the victim or visit the home again.
They will also have to pay the victim's court costs and be on unsupervised probation for two years.
35-year-old Sigler was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A statement issued by Sigler's attorney said the bullet shattered his leg and blood loss caused partial loss of vision.
In a new Statement of Facts, a detailed recollection of events is listed out as it was presented in court.
A statement was also released by Sigler's attorney stating that "This should have never happened," in reference to the videos where the incident can be seen more clearly.
"Mr. Sigler has suffered devestating and disabling injuries. He and his family are deeply and permanently affected," the statement also said.
The Court of Appeals held that the mere discovery of the open door at the residence was not enough to constitute entry by Police.
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