VA Man Accused Of Killing 3, 'Catfishing' Teen Dies In Police Shootout In California

CHESTERFIELD, VA — A sheriff’s deputy from Virginia was killed in a shootout with police in San Bernardino County, California, Saturday afternoon, after killing three people in the City of Riverside, according to police.

Police said Austin Lee Edwards, 28, of Chesterfield, Virginia, killed Brooke Winek, 38, and her parents, 69-year-old Mark Winek and 65-year-old Sharie Winek, on Friday. Police believe Edwards then set their Riverside house on fire and kidnapped Brooke Winek's teenage daughter by forcing her into his car, parked next door.

Edwards was shot and killed by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputies on Saturday.

Police detectives in California learned Edwards had worked for the Virginia State Police until recently becoming part of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Virginia State Police confirmed Edwards graduated from the state police academy in January and became a trooper assigned to Henrico County. He then resigned from the Virginia State Police in late October, NBC12 in Richmond reported.

The bodies of the California woman and her parents were discovered shortly after 11 a.m. on Friday, when firefighters were called about a blaze at the family home in Riverside. The three family members were found dead in the home's entryway, according to police.

Detectives determined Edwards made the trip from Virginia to see Brooke Winek's teen daughter, whose identity was not released. He and the girl met through an online platform, and he lured her by pretending to be someone different from who he was, according to police. The deceptive practice is known as "catfishing."

Edwards cultivated the online relationship and got the teen to reveal personal information about herself, including where she lived. When he arrived at her home in Riverside, Edwards parked his red Kia Soul in a neighbor’s driveway and walked to the girl’s home, police said.

Police believe that at some point he killed the girl's grandparents and mother and drove away with his intended target — the teenager.

By Friday afternoon, Edwards and the teen were spotted in his car nearly 200 miles away in San Bernardino County's Mojave National Preserve.

Rather than surrender to San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies, Edwards led a chase and got into a gun battle with the law enforcement officers. He shot at a SWAT vehicle several times before losing control of the Kia and veering off-road, Riverside police said.

The teen got out of Edwards's car and was rescued by deputies; she was unharmed, according to police.

Edwards "pointed a gun" at a sheriff’s helicopter, which is when deputies shot and killed the him, police said.

A vigil for the Winek family was held Saturday evening in Riverside. A GoFundMe campaign set up for the Wineks had raised nearly $28,000 as of Monday morning.