On Thursday, Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office shut down the flow of all traffic on George Washington Memorial Highway, aka Rt. 17, due to a shots fired incident.
When the Sheriff’s Office initially announced the closure, the public was advised there was a situation involving a male who was close to the highway with a gun that had been discharged several times.
GCSO later elaborated noting that a person called 911 shortly before 3 p.m. and reported seeing a male with a rifle who fired at least one shot across the road in the area of 3400 George Washington Memorial Highway.
As deputies were responding, the caller reported hearing more shots, and when a GCSO deputy arrived in the area minutes later, the deputy also heard shots, said GCSO. A perimeter was established and traffic in both directions was shut down.
George Washington Memorial Highway is a major artery connecting the Middle Peninsula and Hampton Roads. The closure created a major traffic issue and caused daycare and school bus lockdowns.
GCSO said the male was later found and the firearm was recovered.
“An investigation and physical evidence revealed the male had fired multiple times at a wild animal in the area. There were no injuries, and no businesses were damaged during this incident,” GCSO stated.
The Sheriff’s Office also noted, “Public safety is of the utmost importance and closing GWMH in this area was absolutely necessary in order to resolve this incident in the safest way possible.”
No charges have been announced. According to GCSO, an investigation is underway.
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