Levi Norwood, 17, is charged with shooting dead his mother and young brother

Boy, 17, is charged with shooting dead his mother and brother, 6, before ambushing and wounding his dad – but he was only arrested when he was stopped for shoplifting during a multi-state manhunt

  • Leviathan ‘Levi’ Henry Norwood, 17, was arrested Saturday in North Carolina
  • Police had been searching for him after double murder Friday in Virginia
  • Norwood’s father came home to find his wife and young son shot dead
  • Teen son ambushed the father and fired on him, but the dad escaped
  • Cops launched massive dragnet after Norwood stole a car to flee 

Leviathan ‘Levi’ Henry Norwood, 17, was apprehended on Saturday in North Carolina

A 17-year-old boy suspected of fatally shooting his mother and his 6-year-old brother in their Virginia home has been arrested in North Carolina, authorities said.

Leviathan ‘Levi’ Henry Norwood was apprehended on Saturday when store employees called police to report him as a possible shoplifter.

A massive manhunt for Norwood had been in effect since Friday night, when his father Josh, 37, returned to their home in Midland, Virginia to find his 34-year-old wife Jen and their six-year-old son Wyatt shot dead.   

Norwood shot and wounded his father, who escaped and called for help, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office. The father was in stable condition at a hospital. 

Police responded to the rural home, which is surrounded by forest, and found that Norwood had apparently fled.

Jen Norwood, 34

Wyatt Norwood, six

Norwood’s mother Jen, 34, and brother Wyatt, six, were found shot dead in their home on Friday night. Norwood’s father says he was ambushed and wounded as well but survived

Police responded to the rural home, which is surrounded by forest, and found that Norwood had apparently fled. A massive manhunt was launched with drones and bloodhounds

Police responded to the rural home, which is surrounded by forest, and found that Norwood had apparently fled. A massive manhunt was launched with drones and bloodhounds

Law enforcement officers initially believed Norwood had barricaded himself inside the family’s home but didn’t find him in there when they entered the residence after trying to make contact with him for several hours. 

A dragnet was launched, including police drones and bloodhounds.

Midland is about 53 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. Sheriff´s deputies blocked off roads and searched wooded areas near the family’s home.

But Norwood evaded cops and was able to leave the area, apparently in a stolen Toyota sedan, police said. 

Fauquier Sheriff Robert Mosier said on Saturday afternoon that it appeared Norwood had stolen a car about 10 miles from the home. Police were searching for a red 2007 Toyota Camry with the license plate WNG 7739.

The car had been reported stolen on Saturday morning. Mosier said bloodhounds had tracked Norwood’s scent to the area of the stolen car.

Midland is about 53 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. Sheriff´s deputies blocked off roads and searched wooded areas near the family's home

Midland is about 53 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. Sheriff´s deputies blocked off roads and searched wooded areas near the family’s home

The search for Norwood ended Saturday when he was apprehended in North Carolina, after a store’s employees reported a shoplifter to police, a sheriff’s office spokesman, Sgt. James Hartman, said in an email. 

Hartman said the car that Norwood was suspected of stealing was recovered near the store at the time of his arrest.

Hartman wouldn’t specify where the teenager was arrested, saying Fauquier County detectives needed to get to North Carolina and “do their job first.” He said he would release the location on Sunday or Monday.

Norwood is charged with two counts of murder in the killing of Jennifer Norwood, 34, and her son Wyatt.

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