South Carolina man pleads guilty to murder of Big Stone Gap officer Michael Chandler

WISE COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) — It’s been more than two years since the tragic loss of Big Stone Gap police officer Michael Chandler. On June 12, a South Carolina man pled guilty to federal charges in connection to Chandler’s murder and a wide-ranging drug conspiracy.

According to a release, 36-year-old Michael Donvian White pled guilty to the following eight counts in connection to Chandler’s murder:

• Causing the death of a person using a firearm, which killing was first-degree murder, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
• Conspiring to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine
• Using a place for the purpose of distributing or using a controlled substance
• Using a communication facility in committing any felony-controlled substance offense,
• Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
• Possession of a stolen firearm
• Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and using
• Brandishing and discharging that firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime

On Nov. 13, 2021, around 4:30 a.m., Officer Chandler was called to the 2500 block of Orr Street, in Big Stone Gap, aka “The Red House.” When Chandler arrived, he encountered a vehicle outside the house.

Court records show that Chandler requested backup and told dispatch, “This car is taking off on me.” Inside the car, White told a woman to drive off, because there were drugs inside and he didn’t want to go back to jail. That’s when the woman began driving away, but then stopped and got out of the car.

At the same time, White attempted to flee the scene, but the car got stuck in the grass. As the incident continued, Officer Chandler approached the driver’s side and White fired a pistol eight times through the window hitting Chandler.

He was rushed to the hospital where he later died.

As the investigation unfolded, White was later arrested at a motel in Kingsport, Tennessee, where officers also located the pistol.

Court documents uncovered that at the beginning of August 2021 and after White’s arrest in October 2022, he and 18 other defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute over 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl.

“First, let me say our prayers for healing go out to the family of Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler. At the core of this tragic event is a previously convicted felon getting illegal access to a firearm,” said ATF Washington Field Division Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai. “It is our hope that Mr. White receives a lengthy sentence that holds him accountable for every one of his criminal acts. Keeping our communities safe and supporting our fellow law enforcement partners is what drives ATF in the fight against violent crime.”

“Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler died serving his community. The men and women among us who swear the oath and put on the badge keep all of us safe,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “While nothing we do in a courtroom can ever bring Michael back, our hope is that today’s guilty plea brings some semblance of peace to his family, friends, and brethren in law enforcement that today, justice was done.”