HAMPTON, Va. — Chesapeake Sheriff Jim O'Sullivan said one of his deputies remains in critical condition on Thursday.
55-year-old Scott Chambers works as an investigator for the Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshal's Task Force. Along with his team, he helps other jurisdictions arrest homicide suspects.
Chambers was part of the team helping Hampton Police serve an arrest warrant Wednesday morning to 46-year-old Lamont Lewis when they tried pulling him over in the area of Todds Lane and Big Bethel Road.
O'Sullivan said when officers got the female driver to get out of the car and move toward them, Lewis jumped across the driver's seat, out of the car, and pointed his guns at police.
"It escalated very quickly," said O'Sullivan. "The suspect comes out with two firearms, one in each hand, and opens fire on Investigator Chambers and the rest of the Task Force."
Officers and investigators fired back, hitting Lewis, who eventually died at the hospital. Lewis was wanted for killing his wife, Tivona Fogg, on Christmas morning on Twin Lakes Circle.
In the crossfire, O'Sullivan said Chambers was shot in the chest below his collarbone and in his right thigh.
"Within another 15 seconds, he's trained enough and tough enough that he's getting a tourniquet on his injury, as he's bleeding profusely, and it just speaks volumes as to who he is and who that Task Force is," O'Sullivan said as he smiled at his desk.
O'Sullivan said he and Chambers worked together for decades and became close friends. He said he had to put aside his emotions when he learned his close friend and colleague got hurt in the line of duty.
He called the quick thinking of law enforcement Wednesday morning a necessary decision.
"We do not want to eliminate him [Lamont Lewis] from the face of this Earth," said O'Sullivan. "We want to take him into custody, have a trial, and go from that way... but it escalated very quickly and he was the escalator in this situation. So, he determined the outcome of that situation."
He said Chambers and his team did what they had to do and acted quickly when Lewis came out firing.
“Scott Chambers is a hero. He is a true American hero. He represents everything we should look for in law enforcement," said O'Sullivan. "It's a testament of who he is. He's the toughest guy you'll ever meet... but he's also the kindest and most caring guy you'll ever meet, also."
A Hampton Police spokesman said the woman who was in the car with Lewis during the traffic stop cooperated with police on the scene and said she does not face any charges.
O'Sullivan said he plans to visit Chambers at the hospital once he is out of surgery. He added his department is providing mental health services for the investigators involved and the family of Deputy Scott Chambers.
The Hampton Commonwealth's Attorney is currently looking into if the shooting death of Lamont Lewis was justified.