Michael Rusk is the former James City County, Virginia, police officer who shot his supervisor, Sergeant Christopher Gibson, outside a Williamsburg bar in January 2023 and later said the shooting was self-defense during a sexual assault. His criminal case ended in December 2025 with a plea deal that carried no jail time but a felony conviction that permanently bars him from law enforcement work. Two civil lawsuits he filed, one against the county and one against a hospital, remain active.
The Shooting Outside Brickhouse Tavern
Early on January 25, 2023, Rusk, then 24, and Gibson, then 38, were off duty and drinking together at Brickhouse Tavern on Scotland Street in Williamsburg. By Rusk’s account, Gibson grew jealous while Rusk was texting a woman he knew from high school, began touching him, and Rusk left the bar for his truck.1WAVY. Exclusive: Former JCC Cop Who Shot Boss Describes Night of Jealousy, Betrayal, Sexual Assault
Rusk alleged Gibson followed him and climbed into the passenger seat, where Gibson sexually assaulted him. In his later federal complaint, Rusk said he fell asleep in the truck and woke to find his hand placed on Gibson’s exposed genitals.2WAVY. Rusk Federal Lawsuit – Second Amended Complaint Rusk said he got out, and Gibson pinned him against the truck, grabbed his wrists, and tried to kiss him. When Rusk told him to stop, he said, Gibson punched him and reached for Rusk’s personal firearm. One shot went off during the struggle, and Rusk fired twice more, hitting Gibson once in the upper chest and once in the abdomen.1WAVY. Exclusive: Former JCC Cop Who Shot Boss Describes Night of Jealousy, Betrayal, Sexual Assault
Rusk called 911 and tried CPR after Gibson lost consciousness. Gibson’s injuries were serious but not life-threatening, and he survived.3WTKR. Former James City Co. Officer Won’t Serve Jail Time for Shooting Fellow Officer While Off Duty
Gibson’s Side
Gibson has not spoken publicly in the available record. His attorney, Nicholas Simopoulos, called Rusk’s allegations “false and malicious” and described Gibson as “the victim of a serious, unprovoked, and unjustified attack.”4New York Post. Ex-Cop Michael Rusk Who Shot Sergeant Sues Virginia Police Department Gibson retired from the James City County Police Department in May 2024.5The Virginian-Pilot. Rusk, Former JCC Cop, Sentence
The Criminal Case and the Plea
A grand jury indicted Rusk on March 15, 2023, on one count of aggravated malicious wounding and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.6Daily Press. James City Officer Indicted in January Shooting of Fellow Officer He was placed on unpaid leave, released on bond, and eventually terminated by the department.
On December 8, 2025, Rusk resolved the case in Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court. Prosecutors reduced the aggravated malicious wounding charge to unlawful wounding and dropped the firearm charge entirely. The court sentenced him to three years in prison with the whole term suspended, placed him on three years of unsupervised probation, and ordered him to pay $468 in court costs.5The Virginian-Pilot. Rusk, Former JCC Cop, Sentence
The plea used an unusual structure. Rusk pleaded not guilty but stipulated that the prosecution’s evidence was sufficient to convict. Williamsburg-James City County Commonwealth’s Attorney Nate Green said the arrangement was meant to protect Rusk in his civil litigation: “The fact that you plead guilty is admissible in the civil trial. The fact that the judge found you guilty is not.”5The Virginian-Pilot. Rusk, Former JCC Cop, Sentence The conviction is still a felony, which means Rusk can no longer work as a police officer.
Why He Took the Deal
Rusk, 27 at the time of the plea, said he would have preferred a trial. He was newly married and expecting a child within two months. “Had I not had a child due in less than two months, I absolutely would have taken this to trial,” he told WAVY. His attorney, Peyton Akers, noted that the dropped firearm charge carried a mandatory minimum of three years, so a conviction at trial would have kept Rusk away for at least the first three years of his child’s life. Akers called Rusk “overcharged from the beginning.”7WAVY. Exclusive: Former JCC Cop Had Family Concerns When Agreeing to Plea Deal in Shooting of Sergeant
The Harassment Allegations Behind the Shooting
Rusk says the shooting was the end of a longer pattern. In his federal complaint, he alleges that Gibson began sexually harassing him in late December 2021 and continued until the January 2023 shooting. The conduct described includes slapping his buttocks, blowing on his ears and neck, forced handholding, bear hugs, touching his genitals, and pressuring him for sexual favors. Rusk alleges Gibson used his rank to coerce compliance and demanded to be called “Daddy.”2WAVY. Rusk Federal Lawsuit – Second Amended Complaint
The suit also alleges Gibson tracked Rusk’s location using both a location-sharing app and the mobile data computer in his patrol vehicle. Exhibits include text messages between the two officers. One December 2022 message from Gibson read, “Just a reminder that you’re really attractive.” In another, Gibson texted, “Mikey coming to daddy??” Rusk’s replies were often appeasing, which he says reflected the pressure he felt to placate a supervisor.4New York Post. Ex-Cop Michael Rusk Who Shot Sergeant Sues Virginia Police Department Rusk further alleges the department had already identified a “system-wide” negative environment, including gender bias and a fear of retaliation, in an internal leadership assessment dated October 24, 2022, and failed to act.2WAVY. Rusk Federal Lawsuit – Second Amended Complaint
The Federal Lawsuit Against the County
Rusk filed suit in June 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against James City County and its police department. He brings claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and retaliation, along with claims under 42 U.S.C. ยง 1983 for violations of his Fourteenth Amendment rights.2WAVY. Rusk Federal Lawsuit – Second Amended Complaint The suit seeks $5.5 million in compensatory damages and $300,000 in punitive damages, plus attorney fees.8The Virginian-Pilot. Former James City County Police Officer Charged With Shooting His Sergeant Sues Department Rusk alleges the county terminated him in retaliation, using his texts with Gibson as pretext while declining to hold Gibson accountable. The case remains active.9PACER Monitor. Rusk v. James City County, et al
The Riverside Hospital Lawsuit
Rusk has also sued Riverside Hospital and three medical providers, seeking nearly $13 million. He alleges he was not properly treated for sexual assault after the January 2023 incident.1WAVY. Exclusive: Former JCC Cop Who Shot Boss Describes Night of Jealousy, Betrayal, Sexual Assault With the criminal case closed, both civil suits can now move forward. A second amended complaint has been filed in the hospital case; no trial date has been publicly reported.