Police identify Fredericksburg officer who shot man

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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- The Latest on the fatal shooting by a Fredericksburg police officer (all times local):

2:50 p.m.:

The father of a man fatally shot by Fredericksburg police says he feels no animosity toward the officer.

Steven Blair of Pensacola, Florida, told the Free Lance-Star (http://bit.ly/1ZtqTdg ) on Wednesday that he's praying for the officer and his family. Blair declined further comment, saying his family's life is private.

A woman who answered Blair's phone and declined to identify herself took a message but told The Associated Press she did not think Travis J. Blair's father wanted to say anything more.

Police say 31-year-old Fredericksburg officer Christopher Brossmer shot 33-year-old Travis Blair in the leg Tuesday. Brossmer had stopped Blair, who was wanted for failure to appear in court on a drug possession charge. Blair drove away, dragging Brossmer about 600 feet before crashing. A pursuit on foot ended with the shooting.

Virginia State Police are investigating.

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2:15 p.m.:

Fredericksburg police have identified the officer who fatally shot a man as 31-year-old Christopher Brossmer.

Virginia State Police say 33-year-old Travis J. Blair of Fredericksburg died at a hospital after being shot in the leg Tuesday. Police said Wednesday that Blair was white. Brossmer's race was not disclosed.

According to police, Blair was driving in the city Tuesday when the officer recognized him as a person wanted on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court on a drug possession charge. Police said the officer stopped Blair's car, but he disobeyed orders and drove away, dragging the officer about 600 feet before crashing into a ditch. After a foot chase, the two got into an altercation and the officer's gun discharged.

The officer was uninjured. City police say Brossmer has been placed on paid administrative leave while state police investigate.

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11:50 a.m.:

Virginia State Police have released the name of the man fatally shot by a Fredericksburg police officer.

Police said in a news release Wednesday that 33-year-old Travis J. Blair of Fredericksburg died at a hospital after being shot in the leg. Officials didn't release the officer's name or the race of the officer or Blair.

According to police, Blair was driving in the city Tuesday when the officer recognized him as a person wanted on an outstanding warrant. Police said the officer stopped Blair's car, but he disobeyed orders and drove away, dragging the officer about 600 feet before crashing into a ditch. After a foot chase, the two got into an altercation and the officer's gun discharged.

The officer was uninjured.

City police asked the state police to investigate.