Loudoun Deputy Returns To Work 2 Years After Being Shot Multiple Times By Shoplifter

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Two years ago, a shoplifter shot Deputy First Class Camron Gentry during an incident at the Walmart on Dulles Crossing Plaza. This week, Gentry returned to work with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

Gentry was called to the Walmart on Jan. 2, 2021 to arrest a man accused of stealing from the store. As Gentry took the alleged shoplifter into custody, the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the deputy and two security guards, according to police reports.

The suspect was eventually taken into custody after crashing his getaway vehicle in Chantilly.

Gentry spent 43 days in the hospital and underwent several surgeries, the sheriff's office said. The two civilian security guards suffered serious injuries that were not life-threatening.

Read more: 3 Shot In Sterling Walmart, Suspect In Custody: Sheriff's Office

The suspect, Steven Thodos, was charged with two counts of attempted capital murder of a police officer, aggravated malicious wounding, using a firearm in the commission of a felony, and grand larceny. He was convicted of all charges.

Thodos is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20, according to court records. He could spend the rest of his life in prison, based on Virginia's sentencing guidelines.

On Wednesday, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office took to social media to welcome Gentry back to the force.

"This is an incredible story of survival and bravery as DFC Gentry continues to recover from his injuries," the sheriff's office wrote. "The LCSO is proud to witness DFC Gentry return to work and to support him through his recovery process. DFC Gentry continues to exhibit the same bravery in his recovery as he did the night he was seriously injured."

Gentry has been assigned to work in the sheriff's office training division, authorities said.