Man accused of killing mother gets into struggle with officer causing police weapon to discharge at VB hospital

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A man accused of murdering his mother appeared before a Virginia Beach judge virtually on Monday.

Matthew Christie, 38, was appointed a public defender on Monday, who did not request a bond hearing. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Nov. 4.

According to police, Christie is charged with first-degree murder and malicious assault in the death of his mother, 74-year-old Linda Christie.

He was involved in a struggle with police that resulted in an officer’s handgun discharging at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital Friday afternoon.

In a release from the Virginia Beach Police, the incident began on Oct. 16 when officers responded to the 2400 block of Loran Court for a welfare check.

When officers got to the scene, they found Linda Christie dead and her son, Matthew Christie, suffering from serious injuries.

Police say Matthew Christie was sent to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital for treatment.

On Friday, Oct. 22, an officer was dispatched to the hospital around 3:30 p.m. to assist detectives with the ongoing investigation.

The release from Virginia Beach Police said the officer was sent to the hospital to take Matthew Christie into custody, however, he fled from the officer.

The officer was able to catch up to him which resulted in a struggle between the two. During the struggle, police say Matthew attempted to disarm the officer resulting in the handgun discharging. It is not yet clear who caused the firearm to discharge.

The officer wasn’t injured. Matthew Christie was eventually taken into custody.

Several employees told 10 On Your Side that they received emergency messages about the incident around 3:30 p.m. before receiving the all-clear. According to police, the hospital, on First Colonial Road, was also not the scene of an active shooter.

Following the incident, Sentara Healthcare released the following statement:

“There is no active shooter at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and there is no threat to any staff, patients or community. The Virginia Beach Police Department is handling the incident and all future updates will come from them.”

Stay with WAVY.com for updates.