Man Allegedly Gunned Down Deputy During Welfare Check

Law enforcement arrested the Virginia man accused of firing on two deputies during a welfare check, killing one, after the reward to find him climbed to $60,000 during an extensive search, WXII reports. Details on his arrest were not immediately released. Federal officials said tips leading to the location and arrest of 55-year-old Michael Timothy Puckett could net up to $50,000 from the FBI and $10,000 from the US Marshals Service, ABC News reports. Authorities had warned Puckett was armed and "extremely dangerous" and urged anyone who spotted him to call 911 rather than approach. Puckett faces an aggravated murder charge, Fox News reports.

Puckett is suspected of opening fire on Carroll County deputies Logan Utt and an unnamed colleague Friday night at a home near Richmond. The deputies returned fire, but Puckett allegedly fled; a motive has not been identified. Utt, a 31-year-old military veteran who joined the sheriff's office in 2023, died of his injuries. Sheriff Kevin A. Kemp called him a "hero" and a devoted husband and father. The search crossed into North Carolina on Sunday after a wildlife camera in Surry County, just north of Mount Airy, captured an image believed to be Puckett around 6:56am. Authorities say Puckett was apprehended in Surry County.