Youngkin Orders Flags Lowered For Officer Killed In Line Of Duty

COVINGTON, VA — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of a police officer who was killed Monday responding to an incident at a gas station in Covington.

Covington Police Officer Caleb Ogilvie, 35, was shot and killed in the incident at Covington Farm & Fuel, where two other people were killed.

“The First Lady and I are devastated by the tragic loss of Covington Police Officer Caleb Ogilvie,” Youngkin said in a statement Tuesday. “This serves as a reminder that law enforcement officers risk their lives every day they put on the uniform.”

Flags will be flown at half-staff on the day of Ogilvie's memorial for the state “to honor his service and sacrifice,” the governor said.

Covington, located near the border with West Virginia off Interstate 64, is an independent city and the county seat of Alleghany County.

Shortly before 5 p.m. on Monday, Toney S. Poulston Jr., 42, of Covington, entered the gas station and got into an argument with a relative who worked at the store, Randall Lee Paxton, 64, of Covington. Poulston then shot and killed Paxton, according to the Virginia State Police.

Ogilvie and other police officers who responded to the incident encountered Poulston armed with a gun coming out of the store, according to police. Shots were fired that resulted in the death of Ogilvie and Poulston, ABC 13 News reported.

"It is with deep regret that I must share with our community the news that Police Officer Caleb Ogilvie, 35, was shot and killed while responding to a domestic shooting at the Covington Farm and Fuel Monday afternoon," Covington Police Chief Christopher Smith said in a statement Tuesday.

Ogilvie served as a Marine prior to becoming a police officer. He was also a volunteer EMT in Roanoke County at the Mason Cove Volunteer Rescue Squad from 2011 to 2016.

Ogilvie graduated from the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy in August 2021 and then joined the Covington Police Department that same month.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family pay for funeral costs and other expenses. He leaves behind his wife Natasha and two young daughters, according to the GoFundMe page.