New details emerged today in the case of the April 22 shooting death of a car break-in suspect in Richmond's Church Hill neighborhood.
At a court hearing that ended early this afternoon, testimony indicated that the man charged with murder in the shooting death of Jamall Holman fired two shots, then chased him and fired four more.
Richmond police also testified that several exhaustive searches of the area failed to produce a gun that Eric G. Driver said Holman was wielding.
The shooting death of Holman, 24, of the 1700 block of Forest Glen Road in Henrico County, and the arrest of Driver galvanized the community on the issue of how far people can go to defend themselves and their property.
Richmond authorities said it was a clear case of someone violating state law that prohibits people from using deadly force to protect property. They charged Driver, 25, of the 500 block of North 22nd Street, with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in a felony.
Defense attorney John W. Luxton said Driver merely reacted instinctively after his girlfriend was frightened when she found a masked Holman breaking into her car near 22nd and East Leigh streets. Luxton said Driver felt like he was fighting for his life.
But a judge said enough evidence existed to certify the case to a grand jury that will meet July 6.
The ruling came after a man who was walking his two dogs in a nearby alley when the shooting occurred testified that after he heard two gunshots, he saw one man chasing another and then saw the gunman fire four additional shots.
-- Joe Macenka
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