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Melissa R. Tompkins, 40, of no fixed addressed, was fatally shot by police after hitting an officer in the head with his baton on Sunday night, Dec. 17, Virginia State Police said.
Stratsburg police responded to a 9-1-1 call for an erratic person damaging property at a hotel on Signal Knob Drive around 11 p.m., police said.
Tompkins was found in a back parking lot of the hotel, where an altercation ensued as the woman attacked the officer and took his baton, state police said.
Tompkins used it to hit the officer in the head, prompting him to fire his service weapon at her, officials said.
Tompkins was struck and taken to Winchester Medical Center, where she later died. Her remains have been transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Manassas for positive identification, examination, and autopsy.
The officer was transported to the Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and has since been released. No other law enforcement officers or citizens were injured in the incident.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
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