{"data":{"id":"us-va/va.-code-19.2-83.5","jurisdiction":"us-va","citation":"Va. Code § 19.2-83.5","heading":"Use of deadly force by a law-enforcement officer during an arrest or detention","body":"A. A law-enforcement officer shall not use deadly force against a person unless:1. The law-enforcement officer reasonably believes that deadly force is immediately necessary to protect the law-enforcement officer or another person, other than the subject of the use of deadly force, from the threat of serious bodily injury or death;2. If feasible, the law-enforcement officer has provided a warning to the subject of the deadly force that he will use deadly force;3. The law-enforcement officer's actions are reasonable, given the totality of the circumstances; and4. All other options have been exhausted or do not reasonably lend themselves to the circumstances.B. In determining if a law-enforcement officer's use of deadly force is proper, the following factors shall be considered:1. The reasonableness of the law-enforcement officer's belief and actions from the perspective of a reasonable law-enforcement officer on the scene at the time of the incident; and2. The totality of the circumstances, including (i) the amount of time available to the law-enforcement officer to make a decision; (ii) whether the subject of the use of deadly force (a) possessed or appeared to possess a deadly weapon and (b) refused to comply with the law-enforcement officer's lawful order to surrender an object believed to be a deadly weapon prior to the law-enforcement officer using deadly force; (iii) whether the law-enforcement officer engaged in de-escalation measures prior to the use of deadly force, including taking cover, waiting for backup, trying to calm the subject prior to the use of force, or using non-deadly force prior to the use of deadly force; (iv) whether any conduct by the law-enforcement officer prior to the use of deadly force intentionally increased the risk of a confrontation resulting in deadly force being used; and (v) the seriousness of the suspected crime.2020, Sp. Sess. I, c. 37.","path":["Title 19.2. Criminal Procedure","Chapter 7.1. Law-Enforcement Officer Conduct During an Arrest or Detention"],"source_url":"https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/19.2-83.5/","current_through":"9/4/2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-04T15:14:39Z","sha256":"b9caa8e4cb41421ccec5033ffbc95389d274a76009023a405dd1f85600c9df74","source_id":"us-va","stale":true,"prev":"us-va/va.-code-19.2-83.4","next":"us-va/va.-code-19.2-83.6"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}