VA Officer, 2 Others Killed in Shooting at Farm Store

A Covington, VA, police officer was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon responding to a domestic incident at Covington Farm & Fuel. The suspected shooter and his step-father were also killed.

Police say around 4:30 p.m. Monday, Toney S. Poulston Jr., 42 of Covington, went into the store, leading to an altercation with his step-father who worked there, Randall Lee Paxton, 64 of Covington, WFXR reports.

The altercation escalated into Poulston shooting and killing Paxton, according to police. The City of Covington Police and Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office responded to an alert of Poulston’s “erratic and escalating actions in the building,” police told WDBJ7 .

When officers and deputies arrived, they were met by Poulston, who was armed with a pistol and leaving the store, according to police. Shots were fired. Poulston and a City of Covington police officer were both killed.

The fallen officer has not been identified, WAVY reports.

Officials say the officer was employed with Covington Police for less than one year and had not worked with any other departments in the area.

A woman employee inside the store was not injured. She is married to Paxton and related to Poulston, according to police.