UPDATED: Undercover officer was robbed, threatened with a gun before police shooting

Before a police-involved shooting in Dale City last week – an incident that resulted in the death of a 19-year-old Woodbridge man – the suspects robbed an undercover police officer and threatened him with a handgun, according to new information released Wednesday morning by Prince William County police. 

The shooting, which took place at about 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1 in the 14700 block of Fox Grove Court in Dale City, resulted in the death of Jaiden Malik Carter, 19, of Woodbridge. Carter succumbed to his injuries at an area hospital on Sunday, Sept. 4, according to 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok, a Prince William County police spokesman. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 7, police identified the two other men involved in the incident. The second man who was wounded is Shane Dareon Pollard, 30, also of Woodbridge. Pollard remains hospitalized, Perok said in a news release. 

The third man, Jalil Michael Turner, 18, of no fixed address, was not wounded, nor were any police officers hurt, police have said in earlier news releases. 

Two handguns, one which was “illegally modified to be fully automatic with an extended magazine,” were located at the scene, Perok said in the latest news release. 

Not disclosed, however, was whether or when the men fired their weapons at police, or what exactly prompted police to fire their weapons. Two Prince William County police detectives and two City of Manassas police detectives discharged their police-issued handguns during the incident, but police have not yet said whether the police gunfire struck Carter or Pollard. 

Both Pollard and Turner have been charged with robbery resulting in death, and Turner has been charged with use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with the incident.  

Turner is being held without bond at the Prince William-Manassas Regional Detention facility, the release said. 

Perok said the preliminary details were being released “to keep our community informed of the events prior to the shooting taking place.” 

Series of events 

According to the new information Perok released Wednesday, the incident unfolded after arrangements had been made through a confidential informant for an undercover City of Manassas police detective to purchase “a large quantity of suspected fentanyl pills and at least one firearm” from alleged dealers in the area of Fox Grove Court, a townhome neighborhood in Dale City.   

Three men met the detective in the area in a separate vehicle. Turner exited the vehicle in which he arrived and got into the detective’s vehicle, the release said. 

After a brief encounter, Turner exited the detective’s vehicle before returning a short time later with Carter. Both Turner and Carter got into the detective’s vehicle with Turner sitting in the front passenger seat, and Carter in the backseat, the release said. 

At one point during the conversation, Turner “produced a handgun, demanding the money from the detective and additional property,” the release said.   

Meanwhile, Pollard remained in the driver’s seat of the other vehicle and repositioned his vehicle behind the detective’s vehicle. During the interaction, Carter “ordered the detective to open the trunk to look for the money that was to be used in the transaction,” the release said.   

“Both men took property from the detective, to include the money, before getting into the other vehicle occupied by Pollard,” the release said.   

With Pollard behind the wheel, all three men attempted to flee in the vehicle just as additional detectives were converging on the location to make the arrest.   

Two handguns, one which was “illegally modified to be fully automatic with an extended magazine,” were located at the scene, the release said. 

“These events led up to the exchange of gunfire with police, which continues to be [investigated by] the Critical Incident Response Team,” the release said. 

A criminal investigation into the police shootings is being conducted by Arlington County Police Department, which is a member of the regional CIRT, Perok said in an earlier release.   

All four police officers involved have been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of a that investigation, the results of which will be turned over to Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Amy Ashworth for her review, Assistant Prince William County Police Chief Jarad Phelps said during a Sept. 1 press conference. 

In addition to the criminal investigation, both the Prince William County and City of Manassas police departments are conducting parallel, internal reviews to examine whether officers followed the departments' policies in discharging their weapons, Phelps said. 

When asked if the officers were wearing body cameras during the incident, Phelps said that question is "part of the investigation." 

"We're still trying to figure that out," he said. 

Phelps urged any witnesses of the shootings -- or any residents who might have video of the shootings from an outdoor security camera -- to contact the police department immediately at 703-792-7000. 

"There's video, we believe. There's Ring cameras. Anybody who has any [video], we're looking to view that," he added. 

Law-enforcement agencies involved in the operation were part of a task force and included officers from the ATF, FBI and three local police departments: Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park. 

Fentanyl-laced opioids have been blamed for the majority of fatal overdoses involving opioids in recent years. Two Prince William County teens -- 14- and 15-year-old boys -- died of fentanyl overdoses in April 2022. A Woodbridge man was arrested in May in connection with their deaths. 

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Anyone who comes in contact with fentanyl is urged not to touch the drug and to call 911. 

Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@fauquier.com