Stafford Co. prosecutor: Officers justified in shooting murder suspect

STAFFORD, Va. (AP) — Authorities say Virginia deputies who shot and wounded a murder suspect were justified in using deadly force.

The head prosecutor for Stafford County said Friday that the actions by the deputies were justified and that they will return to regular duty.

Thirty-eight-year-old George R. Batts Jr. of Richlands, North Carolina, was shot last Sunday morning by deputies who responded to a shooting at 1130 International Parkway in Stafford.

Batts is accused of shooting 47-year-old Ely Grimes before the deputies arrived.

Initial charges of malicious wounding and use of a firearm during a felony were filed before Grimes died Tuesday.

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