In the early hours of March 9, 2013, a gathering of family in Washington County, Virginia, took a tragic and fatal turn. Andres Droguett, a 32-year-old White male and a decorated U.S. Army veteran from Ashburn, was shot and killed. The quiet of the morning was shattered by a single gunshot inside a home on Whites Mill Road, leading to a swift response from the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Upon their arrival at approximately 1:15 a.m., deputies discovered Droguett's body.
The investigation that followed pointed to a domestic dispute that had escalated with devastating consequences. Authorities determined that alcohol had been a factor in an argument that erupted between Droguett and his brother-in-law, 26-year-old Timothy James Mitchler of Abingdon. What began as a verbal altercation reportedly became physical, culminating in a struggle over a handgun.
In the ensuing scuffle, the firearm discharged, striking Droguett with a single, fatal bullet. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators quickly identified Mitchler as the suspect in the shooting.
Following the initial investigation, Timothy James Mitchler was taken into custody without incident. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. After his arrest, Mitchler was transported to the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail, where he was held without bond. The devastating incident left a family fractured, as the victim and the alleged perpetrator were bound by marriage. The father of the suspect lamented the profound hurt that the event caused for everyone involved.
