Officer Michael D. Chandler was 29 when he was shot while working a welfare check at a vacant house in the 2500 block of Orr Street, a location local police knew for illicit activity. The shooting occurred on November 13, 2021, his birthday, in the early morning hours as he neared the end of his shift. A deputy found him unconscious in a ditch with gunshot wounds to his wrist and abdomen, just below his ballistic vest. He was taken to a local hospital and then airlifted to Johnson City Medical Center, where he died that evening surrounded by family.

A manhunt followed. Investigators identified Michael Donivan White as a suspect; he was found that same day at a motel in Kingsport, Tennessee, and taken into custody without incident. Officers recovered a 9mm pistol at the scene. The investigation uncovered a large drug trafficking operation tied to the location that allegedly moved methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl into Southwest Virginia.

Chandler was a Big Stone Gap police officer and a volunteer firefighter who left behind a wife and daughter. Does anyone who knew Officer Chandler or has information about activity around Orr Street in November 2021 have tips to share?