A 33-year-old North Carolina man randomly attacked a woman leaving the Ross store on Mooretown Road with a box cutter this afternoon, then fled to the nearby Home Depot store where he was shot dead by James City County police.
The violent series of events unfolded in just seven minutes this afternoon, authorities said.
York-Poquoson Sheriff Ron Montgomery said a witness to the attack called 911 at around 3:25 this afternoon to report a woman was being attacked outside the Ross store.
The witness then followed the assailant by car, talking to 911, as he fled into the nearby Home Depot. Both stores are in York County near the James City County line, and all three law enforcement departments in the Historic Triangle share a joint 911 center.
James City County police were first on the scene and were directed by store employees to the tool department, where the man grabbed a claw hammer and charged two officers.
Jamison said police ordered the man to drop the hammer several times. “The individu…