Injured Chesapeake officer took to new job with relish

CHESAPEAKE

On the job for less than a year, Officer Sean Fleming had never drawn his gun - until Monday, when a man pointed an automatic rifle at him and pulled the trigger.

The day started quietly for the 3rd Precinct in Deep Creek. Fleming began patrolling there on his own only six months ago, making traffic stops, working on strategies to reduce robberies and not shying away from friendly competitions with about a half-dozen officers he'd graduated from the academy with in August.

At 4 p.m. the 26-year-old finished his 8-1/2-hour shift and headed for home. About a mile from the precinct, and driving his green Jeep Wrangler, Fleming pulled over to allow for officers who were following a white van.

That's when he snapped on his radio, heard "shots fired," and followed the pursuit as the van crashed on a ramp to Interstate 64.

When a man emerged from the van, officers said the first thing he saw was Fleming, still in uniform, behind the wheel of his Wrangler. Wielding an assault rifle, the man fired, flattening two of the Wrangler's tires, shattering its headlights, and leaving about a dozen bullet holes in the windshield.

Still inside the vehicle and hit four times, at least once through a bulletproof vest, Fleming managed to fire at least eight shots back through the windshield before pulling himself out, officials said.

"The whole Jeep was peppered with automatic gunfire," said Sgt. Robert Watson, one of Fleming's supervisors. "It was shot to bits. It was unbelievable he came out with only four wounds after that many rounds coming at him. "

Fleming was pulled to safety by four officers and flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where Tuesday he was in stable condition after undergoing surgery. The suspect with the automatic weapon, Christopher White, was killed by Fleming, according to a news release. His superiors said the new officer will be nominated for the medal of valor.

"Officer Fleming is a hero," Chesapeake Police Chief Kelvin Wright said. "He could have gone on his way home. He acted selflessly to intervene in a dangerous situation."

Those who work closely with him were not surprised that Fleming went to help his fellow officers. They said he liked to kayak and jet ski. On the job, he is intensely focused on preventing crime and saving lives.

"He certainly believes he was there for a reason," said Officer Anthony Kelly, who met Fleming at the academy and helped pull him to safety Monday.

Tuesday, Fleming was alert enough to replay all of the details for Wright. "He did not mention anything about pain," the chief said. "He was in survival mode. He said he was determined to stay alive."

Fleming, who lives in Chesapeake, worked in an ABC store before becoming an officer, said one of his friends. Officers who went through the academy with him said he loved military-type discipline.

"He is tough as nails," said Officer Mark Slocum, another academy classmate who works with Fleming in Deep Creek.

Fleming's first day as an officer on the streets was Aug. 26, about nine months ago. He patrolled with field training officers for about four months and went solo in December, said Watson, one of his supervisors.

Fleming has talked about becoming a K-9 officer and how he liked looking for drugs on vehicle stops, he told Watson, and has been working on the department's Operation Triangle, a strategy to reduce robberies in the area. As part of that, Fleming frequently has talked with business owners about ways to reduce their chances of becoming a victim.

"He loves what he does," Kelly said.

As many as 40 officers visited Fleming at the hospital Monday night, Wright said. More came Tuesday. The chief said many of his officers were nervous after the 2008 fatal shooting of Chesapeake Detective Jarrod Shivers.

"You could see it on their faces," Wright said. "They were like, 'Oh no, not again.'

"We had been there before."