Man shot by police wakes from coma, faces charges

Having woke from a coma, a Charlottesville man shot by police during a struggle last month was served with outstanding warrants and placed in the custody of the local jail while still hospitalized.Kerry Von Reese Cook, 31, was critically injured during the Aug. 21 fight with police in an apartment at Friendship Court. As of late Wednesday, his condition had improved to fair at the University of Virginia Medical Center. The city's police chief, Timothy J. Longo, has said a woman called authorities that night and reported that Kerry Cook had entered her apartment uninvited and started cursing and damaging property. Two city officers entered the unit, found Cook, and a violent fight ensued, according to Longo and witnesses who watched the struggle through the apartment's open door. Longo has said the officers used "escalating levels of force" but declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation. Ultimately, Longo said, Officer William Sclafani shot Cook once in the abdomen with a .45-caliber bullet. [more ]