Search fatalities

Randall L. Tinsley

Age : 26

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 08/09/2021

Location : Route 696 about two miles east of Route 616

City : Low Moor / Alleghany County

County : Alleghany

State : Virginia

Agency : Clifton Forge Police Department

Officer(s) :Shawn Urban

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR POLICE CHASE:
Traffic stop; the specific initiating violation has not been publicly disclosed in the available reporting. Clifton Forge Police Officer Shawn Urban attempted to stop a Subaru Outback driven by Michael Julian Wolfe in Clifton Forge. Wolfe continued driving away after Urban activated his emergency lights and siren, and Urban pursued. Later court proceedings confirmed Urban as the officer who initiated the stop.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 08/09/2021, 26-year-old Randall Lee Tinsley of Low Moor was killed while riding his moped on Selma-Low Moor Road when a Subaru Outback fleeing Clifton Forge Police Officer Shawn Urban crossed into Tinsley's lane and struck him head-on. Tinsley was an uninvolved road user and had no connection to the police stop or pursuit.
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Urban had attempted to stop the Subaru in Clifton Forge. According to prosecutors, Urban activated his blue lights and siren, but the driver continued driving away at high speed onto Selma-Low Moor Road. Contemporary reporting states that Clifton Forge police eventually lost sight of the Subaru before the fatal collision.
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The available public record does not disclose the specific traffic violation that prompted Urban's original stop, the maximum speed reached during the pursuit, its precise duration or distance, or the distance separating Urban's police vehicle and the Subaru when police lost sight of it. No PIT/TVI maneuver, stop sticks, roadblock or police-vehicle contact was reported.
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At approximately 8:30 p.m., the Subaru was traveling west on Route 696/Selma-Low Moor Road when the driver lost control while negotiating a curve, crossed the center line into opposing traffic and struck Tinsley's 2021 Dong Fang moped head-on. Witnesses Thomas and Sarah Burnette saw the collision and called 911.
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The impact threw Tinsley from his moped and into a Nissan Titan pickup traveling behind him. Tinsley was wearing a helmet but died at the scene. The pickup driver was not injured.
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After striking Tinsley, the Subaru turned around and continued east on Selma-Low Moor Road. A short time later, it left the roadway and crashed. The driver then ran from the vehicle. Virginia State Police, the Alleghany County Sheriff's Office and other agencies searched for him using tracking dogs and a law-enforcement helicopter. He was ultimately apprehended in Botetourt County.
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Tinsley was 26 and lived in Low Moor. At sentencing, his mother, Teresa Tinsley, described the devastating effect of his death on their family and testified that Randall was regarded as “the glue” that held the family together.
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Virginia State Police Senior Trooper Benjamin Hobbs investigated the fatal collision. The driver later pleaded guilty to second-degree felony murder and felony eluding a law-enforcement officer. Charges of involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident were not prosecuted.
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On 09/12/2022, Alleghany County Circuit Court Judge Edward K. Stein sentenced the driver to 40 years for felony murder, suspended after 25 years of active imprisonment. The five-year sentence for felony eluding was suspended.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Clifton Forge Police Officer Shawn Urban initiated the traffic stop and pursuit. Urban was later promoted to sergeant. In 2024, Clifton Forge recognized him with a lifesaving and commendation award after he pulled a neighbor and a dog from a burning home. No verified prior fatal shooting, fatal pursuit, excessive-force finding, criminal charge or significant disciplinary history involving Urban was identified in the public records reviewed for this reconstruction.
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DISPOSITION:
The fleeing driver pleaded guilty on 05/31/2022 to second-degree felony murder and felony eluding and was sentenced on 09/12/2022 to 40 years for murder, with 15 years suspended and 25 years to serve. Officer Shawn Urban was not criminally charged for initiating the pursuit.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2021/08/10/26-year-old-moped-driver-killed-in-alleghany-county-hit-and-run-police-say/
https://virginianreview.com/71843/
https://www.wdbj7.com/2022/06/01/man-found-guilty-fatal-crash-that-happened-during-police-chase/
https://www.alleghanyjournal.com/aj_article.php?ndx=23790
https://twovirginiasmedia.com/news/murder-suspect-michael-julian-wolfe-25-is-guilty-of-second-degree-felony-murder-and-felony-eluding-a-law-enforcement-officer/