Officer injured, suspect hospitalized

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) - Police say a suspect in Wednesday evening's officer-involved shooting was wanted on federal charges by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

According to Harold Eley with the Newport News Police Department, the shooting stemmed from a traffic stop just before 7 p.m. at the Interstate 664 overpass near 35th Street and Madison Avenue.

"Somewhere during that traffic stop, shots were fired," Eley said.

The 29-year-old officer and a suspect, identified as 40-year-old Corey Antonia Moody of Hampton, both suffered non-life threatening injuries.

A witness on the scene said he heard an officer yell at Moody to exit his car, but he could not get out of the car because the door was jammed.

"It is shocking to me," Moody's neighbor Jarrett Dews said. "He didn't seem like that type of person."

Moody suffered gunshot wounds to his leg and back area and remains in fair condition at a hospital. The officer was treated for a facial injury and released from the hospital.

Eley said Moody had driven off but was pursued and stopped by other officers in the 700 block of 35th Street.

Eley said four officers who were at the scene have been placed on administrative leave with pay and it is unknown if those officers fired their weapons during the incident.

WAVY.com uncovered Moody's extensive crime history which includes multiple traffic and drug violations in Hampton and Newport News since the 1990s.

Wednesday's incident was the city's third officer-involved shooting in 2012; previous incidents were May 21 and July 7. 

According to Eley, the injured officer is part of the department's organized crime unit, was wearing plain clothes and was in an unmarked vehicle at the time of the incident. 

It is not yet clear if the stop was a regular traffic stop or related to the crime unit.

Police Chief James Fox was on scene the scene of the incident Wednesday evening.

"We're a family and it's important that we be a family," Eley said.

The police department will conduct an internal investigation as well as a criminal investigation. Eley said Thursday no other weapons aside from those belonging to officers, were recovered from the incident. 

Thursday morning at the Newport News Police Department, another officer read an email from the injured officer. The injured officer, whose name has not been released, said "I just wanted everyone to know I am safe, very alive and so very thankful that God watched over all of us tonight."