Suspect In Virginia Triple Murder Apprehended After Running Naked In Church Parking Lot, Choking Man

KEELING, Va. (WJZ/AP) — Police in Virginia have apprehended a man who is a suspect in a triple murder.

The Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office said a 911 call came in around 8 a.m. Tuesday from an address on Keeling Drive, and when officers responded, they found two females and a child dead. According to the sheriff's office, the suspect and the victims are related.

Law enforcement officials say that's when suspect Matthew Bernard, 19, was found running through a neighborhood naked and unarmed and into a church parking lot. A state trooper sprayed the man with mace, but it didn't stop him. He continued running until he was apprehended at a blockade. He then choked a church employee as he tried to get into his car.

WDBJ reports Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor told a news conference that three first-degree murder warrants have been issued, but have not been served.

Tampa Bay Rays minor leaguer Blake Bivens wife and child are among three killed in Virginia. Bernard is reported to be Bivens brother-in-law.

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