Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 25, 1993 TAG: 9302250209
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DALE CITY LENGTH: Medium
TROOPER IS SLAIN; 2 CHARGED
Two men were arrested and charged with capital murder Wednesday in the early morning shooting of a state trooper along a Virginia highway.Jose Cavazos, a 10-year member of the state police and a Persian Gulf War veteran, was shot several times after he pulled a car over for a routine speeding ticket, police said. A state Department of Transportation employee found his body at 12:43 a.m.
Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert said he most likely would seek the death penalty.
"Trooper Cavazos made the ultimate sacrifice for the people of the commonwealth of Virginia, and we could never ask for anything more than that," said state police Superintendent Carl Baker. "He's a hero in all of our eyes."
Arrested were Lonnie Weeks Jr., 20, of Fayetteville, N.C., and Louis Jefferson Dukes Jr., 21, of Washington, D.C., police said.
The two were charged with shooting Cavazos, 50, on the southbound exit ramp to a shopping mall shortly after midnight.
Cavazos apparently was shot while struggling with the driver of a car he had pulled over for speeding on Interstate 95, Baker said. Police do not believe Cavazos pulled his gun.
Police said Cavazos was wearing a bulletproof vest but was shot several times above the neckline. Four 9mm shell casings were found at the scene.
Arraignment for both men was set for today. They were held without bond at the Prince William-Manassas Adult Detention Center.
They also were charged with grand larceny and weapons offenses.
The suspects were arrested about 1:30 a.m. after police dogs led them to a nearby motel, said state police Sgt. Norman Pirkey.
Baker said several witnesses to the shooting had come forward.
After dogs led police to the suspects, who were standing outside the motel, the suspects' car was discovered parked at a service station about a quarter-mile from the scene, Pirkey said.
A gun found under the front seat of the stolen car was seized, he said.
Cavazos, who lived in Nokesville, was a staff sergeant in military intelligence during the Gulf War, said state police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell.
He is survived by his wife, Linda, and two children.
Cavazos joined the state police in 1983 and was promoted to trooper in 1985. He was assigned to Prince William County in 1986.
The last state trooper killed in the line of duty in Virginia was Jackie Vernon, who was killed in 1988 on Interstate 395 in Northern Virginia.
Keywords:
FATALITY
Memo: Correction ***CORRECTION***