
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 12, 1995                   TAG: 9511130105
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: D-4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

POLICE OFFICER CLEARED IN FATAL SHOOTING

A Henrico County police officer who killed a robbery suspect last week after the gunman shot him three times has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing, a prosecutor said Thursday.

``It was as clean a self-defense shooting case as you could ever hope to have,'' said Commonwealth's Attorney Toby Vick. ``The case couldn't have been more simple to decide - and we've already conveyed that to him.''

Vick reviewed a standard police investigation of the incident in which Officer Andrew M. Margiotta, 32, shot and killed the man.

Margiotta had stopped Bradley T. McCombie, 31, of Lynchburg, who was high on crack cocaine and driving the wrong way on West Broad Street. McCombie shot the officer three times, then was shot by Margiotta.

Margiottais expected to recover fully.

McCombie had stolen two guns in a Campbell County break-in, robbed a convenience store clerk and fired at least four shots at a Campbell deputy sheriff the day before, and then robbed and abducted a Lynchburg store clerk early the morning of the shooting.

- Associated Press

by CNB