9 state troopers on leave pending investigation into abductee’s death

The man suspected of abducting the woman from her home in New York and then taking her to Virginia, where she died following shots fired after a police pursuit, remains hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police said.

Today, Virginia State Police said 34-year-old Michael Davis of Chesterfield County, Virginia, abducted 34-year-old Tatiana David, with whom he shared a child, according to media reports.

Davis has not been charged.

At 9:40 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, a Virginia State Police trooper saw Davis’ car, a Jeep Cherokee traveling south on Interstate 95. According to a state police spokeswoman, the vehicle’s license plates did not match the registration.

The trooper stopped Davis on the side of the highway and spoke to him. The trooper returned to the cruiser to run the vehicle information and learned the driver was wanted for abduction.

Davis then took off, leading police on a chase that ended when Davis crashed his car near the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico. As police approached the Cherokee, someone started shooting, and police returned fire, said a police spokeswoman.

David died on the scene. The state medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine her cause of death.

A helicopter flew Davis to a hospital for treatment.

Nine Virginia State Troopers are on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. None were injured.

Police found two guns at the crash scene.

More from Virginia State Police:

The investigation into last Wednesday’s abduction and fatal shooting of a New York woman remains ongoing by the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Fairfax Field Office. The woman’s abductor has not been charged, as Michael C. Davis, 34, of North Chesterfield, Virginia, is still being treated for life-threatening injuries at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

The incident began for the Virginia State Police at 9:40 p.m. on April 5, 2023, when a trooper alerted to a Jeep Cherokee traveling south on I-95 in Fairfax County. The vehicle had improper registration – the wrong license plates were displayed on it. When the trooper activated his emergency lights, the Jeep pulled off onto the shoulder of I-95. The trooper approached the Jeep, and spoke to both the adult male driver and adult female passenger.

It was not until the trooper returned to his patrol car to verify the driver’s information that he learned that the driver was wanted by New York State Police for abducting the adult female passenger. Within seconds of receiving that confirmation, the Jeep pulled away from the shoulder and fled south on I-95. A pursuit was initiated.

The fleeing vehicle initially crashed near the 152 mile marker, when it struck the guardrail, but kept going south on I-95. State police vehicles positioned around the Jeep to contain it and bring it to a stop. Near Exit 148 in Prince William County, the Jeep ran off the right side of the road and crashed into the woods. As soon as the troopers approached the SUV, Davis, who remained in the driver’s seat, began shooting at them. State police returned fire.

Davis and the passenger, Tatiana N. David, 34, of Ithaca, N.Y., sustained injuries. Once Davis stopped shooting, the troopers were able to safely approach the Jeep. Troopers and assisting agency personnel pulled both Davis and David from the Jeep, and immediately began rendering medical aid to both.

Davis was flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital where he is still being treated for life-threatening injuries.

David died at the scene. Her remains were transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Manassas for examination and autopsy.

No state police were injured in the shooting. In accordance with state police policy, the troopers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. A Fairfax County Police Officer was also involved in the shooting.

Two firearms were recovered at the scene.

State police is working with New York authorities in regards to the abduction investigation: https://www.nyspnews.com/state-police-investigate-abduction-ithaca-woman-killed-in-virginia.htm