The May shooting death of a man at Colonial Manor Senior Living by James City County Police Officer Jeff Meister appears to have been justified, according to Williamsburg-James City County Commonwealth’s Attorney Nate Green.
The Virginia State Police recently finished its investigation into the matter. Their records were passed off to Green, who has the final say on whether Meister was legally justified to shoot and kill 26-year-old Anthony Michael Bland. Meister shot and killed Bland after a fight outside the senior living center, where Bland was living.
The James City County Police Department is conducting its own internal investigation into the matter. Maj. Stephen Rubino said that investigation is nearly complete, with Chief of Police Emmot Harmon waiting for the final report to review. That investigation examines whether Meister, who has been with the department for four years, violated any police policies in his handling of the incident.
Officers responded to a reported fight at Colonial Manor Senior Living on May 20. Two men described to be roommates were in an altercation there, which eventually moved outside. Meister got out of his police car to confront the suspects, when Bland, who was behind the wheel of a car, rammed Meister, pinning him between Bland’s vehicle and Meister’s squad car.
Meister, who suffered a broken pelvis and fractured elbow, then began shooting his service weapon into Bland’s vehicle. Bland backed up and drove away before returning to Meister on foot, threatening to kill him. A brief struggle ensued before Meister shot and killed Bland. Meister is still recovering from his injuries.
Green said he has not made his final decision yet; however, he’s received “98 percent” of the information he needs to do so and said it appears to have been a justified shooting. The information he’s received includes ballistics, interviews with people on scene and an examination of all the evidence. He said one of the last missing pieces is a toxicology report for Bland.
Though Bland was not a senior citizen, he lived at Colonial Manor Senior Living as part of a Community Service Board program that provides transitional housing for people to get back on their feet. He had lived there for about two months. Pedro Becerra, the owner and director of Colonial Manor Senior Living, said in a May interview Bland had not presented any problems when he lived there.
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