California

Virginia law enforcement worker killed in shootout with deputies after murdering family of teen he had catfished, police say

The suspect, Austin Lee Edwards, 28, was killed in a "deputy-involved shooting" after he opened fire on authorities with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, police said.

Nov. 28, 2022, 5:54 AM EST / Updated Nov. 28, 2022, 6:56 PM EST
By Chantal Da Silva and Tim Stelloh

A Virginia law enforcement worker was killed in a shootout with deputies in California after he allegedly killed the mother and grandparents of a teenage girl he had catfished online, police said Sunday.

The worker had driven off with the girl after the killings, police said.

Officers were initially called to the La Sierra South neighborhood in Riverside, California, on Friday just after 11 a.m. to check on the welfare of a girl who appeared distressed while getting into a red Kia Soul with a man, the Riverside Police Department said in a news release.

While officers were responding, police began to receive calls about a structural fire just a few houses away from where the welfare call was reported, they said.

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