BIG STONE GAP, Va. (WJHL) — Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler turned 29 years old Saturday — the same day he was shot and killed while responding to a welfare check in the 2500 block of Orr Street.
Initial reports indicated that when other officers arrived, they found Chandler lying in a ditch with life-threatening injuries.
Chandler died on his birthday later Saturday night at the Johnson City Medical Center.
Big Stone Gap Town Manager Stephen Lawson and Chief of Police Stephen Hamm honored Chandler with a memorial Monday morning, according to a spokesperson with the police department.
The community awaits the return of Chandler’s body Monday from the medical examiner’s office in Richmond. The procession began from Richmond and should arrive at Big Stone Gap around 3 p.m.
Watch the procession below:
An obituary posted on Holding Funeral Home, Inc.’s website states that while final arrangements have yet to be determined at this time, they will be announced at a later date.
While details surrounding Chandler’s death are limited at this time, News Channel 11 is working to provide the latest developments in the case. Stay updated on-air and online at WJHL.com.
