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Navy Security Force personnel shot and killed a 25-year-old sailor named Juan Gerardo Medina-Reynaga on Friday after he fled a traffic stop at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia, according to a release Monday from Navy Region-Mid Atlantic.

The Kansas native was an aviation boatswain’s mate assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. Medina-Reynaga was a petty officer 3rd class, according to his service record. He enlisted in the Navy in September 2015 and previously served on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.

Security personnel attempted to stop Medina-Reynaga for driving erratically in a 2016 Dodge Charger at about 9:50 p.m. Friday, according to the release. He attempted to flee the base, so security personnel deployed the automatic barriers at the base’s Gate 5. Medina-Reynaga swerved into the parking lot of a nearby Navy Exchange Mini Mart where he crashed the car he was driving into a gas pump at about 10:10 p.m.

Medina-Reynaga fled the scene on foot to evade arrest, and officers pursued and attempted to apprehend him. During the altercation, Medina-Reynaga assaulted security personnel and attempted to remove one of the officer’s weapons.

An NSF officer shot Medina-Reynaga during the altercation. At about 10:50 p.m., he was pronounced dead.

The officer responsible for shooting Medina-Reynaga has been removed from law enforcement duties and will be placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of the investigation, which is standard operating procedure, according to the release. Two NSF personnel were hurt during the altercation. They were treated for minor injuries and released at the scene.

Both the mini mart and the gate have since returned to normal operations. Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Navy Region Mid-Atlantic are investigating the incident.

thayer.rose@stripes.com Twitter: @Rose_Lori

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Rose L. Thayer is based in Austin, Texas, and she has been covering the western region of the continental U.S. for Stars and Stripes since 2018. Before that she was a reporter for Killeen Daily Herald and a freelance journalist for publications including The Alcalde, Texas Highways and the Austin American-Statesman. She is the spouse of an Army veteran and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism. Her awards include a 2021 Society of Professional Journalists Washington Dateline Award and an Honorable Mention from the Military Reporters and Editors Association for her coverage of crime at Fort Hood.

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