VA.’s AMHERST COUNTY
: Following an incident in Madison Heights on Thursday night, one man is in custody and another is deceased.
Watch the news conference that Sheriff Jimmy Ayers conducted on Friday afternoon above.
According to Ayers, deputies checked on an individual who had not been seen in a few days at a house on Overlook Drive. Upon their arrival, deputies were targeted by gunfire from the residence where they were assigned to perform the wellness check.
The Virginia State Police, the Lynchburg Police Tactical Unit, the Lynchburg Police Department Crisis Negotiations Team, and Amherst County Public Safety were all contacted by the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office for help due to the seriousness of the event.
One man, Brian Leisenring of Evington, 58, was found dead when deputies broke into the house. Thomas Ericson, 68, a resident of the house, was also there and is thought to be the one who fired the rounds at the deputies. He was placed under arrest and is currently facing three counts of attempting to kill law enforcement officials. Ericson was the one whose well-being was being examined.
Although Leisenring’s cause of death is still unknown, the sheriff stated that it does not appear to have been self-inflicted.
According to Ayers, there are still charges pending and this is an ongoing investigation. Contact Captain C. Thompson at 434-946-9381 or Central Virginia Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900 if you have any information on this event. You can also use the P3 app on any mobile device or ptips.com to make anonymous online tips. a prize in cash up to $1,000.
