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The 28-year-old Virginia cop who killed three members of the family of a Riverside teenager had posed on-line as a teen to “groom” the 15-year-old woman, the Riverside Police Division mentioned Wednesday.
Austin Lee Edwards, who drove cross nation to the woman’s residence, portrayed himself as a 17-year-old on-line, utilizing “grooming” strategies corresponding to asking for or buying and selling sexually express photographs, offering presents corresponding to medicine, alcohol or reward playing cards and giving out compliments, Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez mentioned Wednesday at a information convention. He mentioned it’s nonetheless below investigation how lengthy the digital relationship between Edwards and the teenager woman transpired and on what platform they used to satisfy or talk.
Police imagine Edwards, who was a newly sworn-in legislation enforcement officer in rural southwest Virginia, related with the teenager woman by “catfishing” — pretending to be somebody he’s not. Then he drove throughout the nation to her residence in Riverside, the place he killed her mom and grandparents and set fireplace to the house, earlier than driving off with the woman. His car was later stopped in San Bernardino County, the place he was killed in a shootout with native police. The woman was not harmed and is within the care of kid protecting providers, officers mentioned.
The three members of the family killed had been recognized as Mark Winek, 69, a longtime baseball and softball coach at Arlington Excessive College; his spouse, Sharie Winek, 65, a loyal mom and grandmother; and their daughter, Brooke Winek, 38, a single mom of two teenage women. All of them lived collectively within the Riverside home.
The second daughter was not residence on the time of the killings, police mentioned.
“[Mark] Winek was an esteemed coach for near a decade at Arlington Excessive College,” the Riverside Unified College District wrote in an announcement. “His ardour for the sport and college students shall be extraordinarily missed.”
The assertion mentioned the varsity district may have an additional crew of counselors accessible for employees and college students to supply extra emotional assist.
Police had been first notified of a state of affairs afoul on the Winek household’s cul-de-sac Friday morning, when neighbors referred to as in a couple of feminine teenager who gave the impression to be distressed whereas getting right into a crimson Kia Soul with a male driver. Quickly after, calls got here in a couple of fireplace on the Wineks’ residence.
Whereas firefighters responded, they discovered three our bodies within the entryway of the house, and upon pulling them exterior, officers shortly dominated their deaths a murder.
Riverside police spokesperson Ryan Railsback didn’t expound on the reason for demise or accidents however referred to as it a “very disturbing crime scene.” He additionally mentioned it appeared the hearth was “deliberately ignited.”
A number of hours later and virtually 200 miles from the house, authorities noticed Edwards’ car in Kelso, a part of unincorporated San Bernardino County, in line with an announcement from the sheriff-coroner.
When a SWAT crew tried to intercept Edwards’ automotive, he led native deputies on a chase, throughout which he shot on the SWAT car a number of instances, officers mentioned. Finally, Edwards drove off the street, and San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies rescued the teenager, who had been contained in the automotive throughout the chase, the assertion mentioned.
Deputies mentioned that when Edwards pointed a gun at a Sheriff’s Division helicopter, deputies fired at Edwards, killing him.
About 10 days earlier than he arrived in Riverside, Edwards was employed as a deputy for the Washington County Sheriff’s Workplace in Virginia, officers mentioned. Earlier than that, he was an officer with the Virginia State Police.
Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis and a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police mentioned none of Edwards’ prior employers had disclosed having had points with him. Corinne Geller, the state police spokesperson, mentioned that in Edwards’ 15-month tenure on the company, he “by no means exhibited any behaviors to set off any inside administrative or felony investigations.” Throughout his background and psychological checks, there weren’t “any indicators of concern,” she mentioned.
Edwards resigned from the Virginia State Police on Oct. 28, in line with Geller, and began with the Sheriff’s Workplace about three weeks later.
Edwards was employed as a patrol deputy with the Sheriff’s Workplace in rural, southwest Virginia on Nov. 16. Andis mentioned Edwards had began orientation at his company and had been assigned to the patrol division.
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