In the late summer of 2026, the city of Bristol, Virginia, was shaken by a violent incident that claimed the lives of two women, including 35-year-old Andrea Mallory. The tragic events unfolded in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 23, at the Extended Stay America Suites on Salem Drive. Police were dispatched to the hotel around 2:40 a.m. following a report of a man with a gun.
Upon their arrival, they made a grim discovery.
Officers found two individuals, later identified as Andrea Mallory and 54-year-old Brenda Tackett, also of Bristol, deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. One of the victims was located in the hotel parking lot, while the other was found inside a hotel room. As law enforcement was securing the scene, they came under fire from a ground-floor room of the hotel. The gunman, later identified as 47-year-old Antonio A. Megginson, fired multiple shots at the officers, who returned fire. A tense standoff ensued, with Megginson barricading himself inside his room. The situation prompted a large-scale police response, including SWAT teams from the Bristol Virginia Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff's Office, and the Virginia State Police.
After several hours of negotiations and a tactical operation, Antonio Megginson was taken into custody at approximately 9:04 a.m. He was subsequently charged with one count of felony attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. The Virginia State Police took the lead in the investigation, and it was anticipated that further charges related to the deaths of Mallory and Tackett would be forthcoming. The case sent ripples of shock and grief through the Bristol community, leaving friends and family of the victims to mourn their sudden and tragic loss as the legal process against the suspect began to unfold.
