APPALACHIA, Va. (WJHL) — Authorities have identified the Wise County Sheriff’s deputy who was stabbed multiple times on Saturday before the 16-year-old suspect was shot and killed.
Appalachia, Virginia mayor Chase Christian identified the injured deputy as Rob Robinson, who remains at the Johnson City Medical Center Sunday in stable condition, according to a Ballad Health spokesperson.
Wise County Sheriff Grant Kilgore also confirmed Robinson as the officer in question, and corroborated Ballad Health’s assessment of his condition.
Christian said the following in a Facebook post shared with News Channel 11:
In a world increasingly changing in ways that seem alien to many locals, I often reflect in how I was raised and can make stark differences in what I see today. Given the recent events, people will point fingers and make rumors; they will blame the officer and others will blame the young male. But perhaps for a moment, people can use logical thinking and look into the past. Mentally unstable or just a bit different in the normal sense should never be ignored or accepted….As Mayor of Appalachia, my prayers go out to all parties involved in today’s tragic events in the Dunbar community. May our officer make a full recovery — a great father and defender of justice. May the families of the two teens find peace, and may God be with everyone. APPALACHIA MAYOR CHASE CHRISTIAN
According to Virginia State Police, the lead agency investigating the incident, Robinson was stabbed multiple times while searching for two missing juveniles in the Dunbar community of Appalachia, Virginia.
Robinson found a vehicle with two people inside. A 16-year-old boy exited the vehicle, and an altercation began.
The 16-year-old then stabbed the deputy, leading the deputy to shoot the boy, who died at the scene.
The other passenger in the vehicle, a 13-year-old girl, was not injured.