GRETNA, Virginia (AP) — Three sheriff's deputies injured in gunfire while executing warrants in southern Virginia on Wednesday were "shaken up” but doing well, officials said.
The warrants were for brandishing a firearm and trespassing, said Pittsylvania County Sheriff Michael W. Taylor. They were also serving a protective order, he said.
There was an hourslong standoff but it ended peacefully and with the suspected shooter in custody, Taylor told reporters afterward.
“All three are well. Of course they’re shaken up. And they’re going through the process now of trying to heal,” Taylor said, adding: “They're OK.”
The officers all appear to have been wounded by shrapnel and none was directly hit, Taylor said.
The sheriff asked the Virginia State Police to investigate the shooting. Sgt. Rick Garletts, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, said agents would likely be at the scene all night collecting evidence.
“We’re very happy that there were no further injuries tonight. This could have ended much worse than it did,” Garletts said. “I’m glad he gave himself up and came on out.”
Photos and video from the scene showed a large number of parked police and emergency response vehicles.
U.S. Rep. John McGuire, who represents Virginia's 5th congressional district, had earlier said in a post on X that his thoughts and prayers were with deputies and their families.
“We are closely following the situation and keeping everyone affected in our hearts during this difficult time,” McGuire wrote.
Pittsylvania County is located along the state’s southern border with North Carolina, about 98 miles (158 kilometers) northwest of Raleigh, North Carolina.
In this screenshot taken from video, law enforcement responds to an active shooting situation in Pittslyvania County, Va., Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (WSET via AP)
Law enforcement services assemble in response to an active shooting situation in Gretna, Va., Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (John R. Crane/Danville Register & Bee via AP)
Law enforcement services assemble in response to an active shooting situation in Gretna, Va., Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (John R. Crane/Danville Register & Bee via AP)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.
SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station.
“It’s so good to be home,” said NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, the capsule commander.
It was an unexpected finish to a mission that began in August and left the orbiting lab with only one American and two Russians on board. NASA and SpaceX said they would try to move up the launch of a fresh crew of four; liftoff is currently targeted for mid-February.
Cardman and NASA’s Mike Fincke were joined on the return by Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Officials have refused to identify the astronaut who had the health problem or explain what happened, citing medical privacy.
While the astronaut was stable in orbit, NASA wanted them back on Earth as soon as possible to receive proper care and diagnostic testing. The entry and splashdown required no special changes or accommodations, officials said, and the recovery ship had its usual allotment of medical experts on board. It was not immediately known when the astronauts would fly from California to their home base in Houston. Platonov’s return to Moscow was also unclear.
NASA stressed repeatedly over the past week that this was not an emergency. The astronaut fell sick or was injured on Jan. 7, prompting NASA to call off the next day’s spacewalk by Cardman and Fincke, and ultimately resulting in the early return. It was the first time NASA cut short a spaceflight for medical reasons. The Russians had done so decades ago.
The space station has gotten by with three astronauts before, sometimes even with just two. NASA said it will be unable to perform a spacewalk, even for an emergency, until the arrival of the next crew, which has two Americans, one French and one Russian astronaut.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
This screengrab from video provided by NASA TV shows the SpaceX Dragon departing from the International Space Station shortly after undocking with four NASA Crew-11 members inside on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This photo provided by NASA shows clockwise from bottom left are, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui gathering for a crew portrait wearing their Dragon pressure suits during a suit verification check inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows recovery vessels approaching the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 capsule to evacuate one of the crew members after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
