Stray bullet killed Richmond woman
Shannon E. Henley
A 22-year-old Richmond woman died after she was struck by a stray bullet from a gunfight between two men outside a nightclub last weekend in Brunswick County, authorities confirmed yesterday.
Shannon E. Henley was pronounced dead at Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center in Emporia not long after the 3 a.m. shooting Sunday at Meljos at U.S. 58 and Reedy Creek Road, said Brunswick sheriff's Maj. Kent C. Washburn.
It appears Henley was caught in the crossfire during shooting by two men, and a stray bullet penetrated the car she was riding in, striking her in the right side, Washburn said.
Police have arrested one of the two men on a gun charge, but no one has been charged with Henley's death.
Henley graduated in May from Virginia State University and was a 2004 graduate of Armstrong High School. She leaves behind a 1-year-old daughter, Kaylyn Blackwell, who is now being cared for by a grandmother, said Shavon Ragsdale, a friend of Henley's.
Authorities gave this account of the shooting:
An argument between two men erupted in gunfire shortly after 3 a.m. as the club was closing. "They started shooting at each other outside the club," Washburn said.
Five deputies providing security on site quickly intervened and observed some men near the road outside the club. They chased two men on foot who were seen running from the scene and officers apprehended one of them, recovering a gun, Washburn said.
A short time later, police received a report of a woman who had been shot inside a vehicle at a service station 3 to 5 miles from the club. Police and rescue workers responded and found Henley in the vehicle with a gunshot wound.
Washburn said 300 to 500 people were partying at the club.
Ragsdale, who traveled to Brunswick to celebrate the Fourth of July, said observers initially believed the gunshots were fireworks and didn't think too much about it. Ragsdale said she was later stunned to learn that her friend had been fatally wounded.
"She was the only person hit in the shooting," Ragsdale said. "We were in the car behind."
Washburn declined to immediately release the name of the one man arrested, citing the ongoing investigation. The man was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
Investigators are awaiting the results of forensic tests on evidence collected at the scene before proceeding with a murder charge, Washburn said.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call Brunswick Crime Solvers at (434) 848-2336 or toll free at (866) 884-5732.
A funeral for Henley will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at the March Funeral Home Chapel, 2100 E. Laburnum Ave.
Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or
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Reader Reactions
tman70043:
I think the War on Drugs is a moronic waste of taxpayer dollars. I personally favor the decriminalization of all narcotics with government controling and taxing it. Not only would that gut most criminal networks and cartels, but it would allow us monitor use and help more people out of addictive behaviors.
There is already proof of concept for this approach working in the United States: prostitution in Nevada. NV has the lowest STD transmission rate of any western state (including Utah) because they monitor and treat one of the biggest traditional sources of these diseases: prostitutes.
Why not be more progressive and do this for drugs and make some significant tax dolloars off of it?!?
Reverend:
I do think those individuals should be held accountable. My problem is why people inclined to gunfighting in a public place have guns or ammo to begin with.
Second of all, the reason for the Second Amendment was not to keep the government in check. That might be your modern interpretation, but you need to check your history. Jefferson abhored the idea of maintaining a standing army. He felt it would it be too expensive and that, in a pre-jet travel age, there would always be time to muster a citizen army in case of attack. Oh yeah, did I mention that Jefferson considered the offensive use of an army to be immoral and indefensible? But again I digress…
Jefferson also made VERY clear that any citizen who owned a firearm should be TRAINED and a MANDATORY MEMBER of the state militia under the constitutional control of the governor, ready to defend the nation against attack from enemies foreign and domestic (he approved Washington’s use of militia in putting down the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania). So, if you aren’t part of the Virginia National Guard, the framers of the constitution would argue that you shouldn’t own a gun.
That’s not interpretation, that’s historical fact.
Weak comeback. Did I spell that right? Its always comical when someone’s point is silly and they resort to pointing out mispellings. Opps, did I misspell again? You point out regulation of drugs, and like I said it doesnt work. Are you saying the “war” on drugs works? Please tell me you’re not saying that. Very funny!
tman70043:
What is absurd is that you criticize someone else and can’t even spell “ABSURD”! And actually, the regulation of LEGAL narcotics/medications is very effective in the United States. And if your grandmother needs “WEEDS” I have plenty in my side flowerbed and she can have as many as she can pull—although I don’t know what good dandelions would do her. If you are saying she needs medical marijuana, her doctor CAN prescribe her federally approved CANNIBINOL which is six times more effective than a joint.
WOW! So no one is blaming the circumstances, the person who shot the innocent victim, or the fact that a certain area is prone to such violence?
No, let’s blame an inanimate object that is neutral in usage until the intent of the user is added.
The right to keep and bear arms does not exist for hunting, or sporting purposes. It exist to keep the government in check. It’s the “teeth” in the Bill of Rights.
The people of this country are so willing to give up their rights for comfort, and security. Ben Franklin once said “Anyone who sacrifices freedom for safety, deserves neither”.
Also, read this article, and you’ll see it’s not a “Red State/Blue State” issue. It’s a “Self Defense” issue.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/06/why_do_liberals_bleed.html
As to this event, it’s tragic, they have my condolences. I have lost people to violence as well, and you have my sympathy.
jack0
It takes time to get the guns from the criminals? How much time? Cause last I checked my grandmother couldnt get weeds for her illness but the local hood rats have all the drugs they want. The govern regulates drugs but that doesnt work. Or is it just gonna take time like you stated? LOL Any other funny suggestions? People like you just dont get. You must have lived a very silver spooned sheltered life to think that stricter gun control will affect the bad guys. You sound absurb!
dogtired & Robo: I agree that the proliferation of inexpensive and easy-to-obtain firearms has been accompanied by a decades long increase in deaths due to gun violence. And Robo, while I would like to believe that stiffer penalties and mandatory sentencing guidelines would somehow serve as an effective deterrent there is VOLUMINOUS evidence that neither of those things affect criminal behaviors. Furthermore, no level of increased deterrent will ever mitigate the irrationality brought on by human passion and anger.
Undoubtedly, there will be a constitutional fight unlike any this country has ever seen should there be any move to modify what gun nuts see as their God-given Second Amendment rights. Mind you, the amendment does directly link gun ownership to the need for maintaining a “well regulated militia” therefore strict constructionists should therefore require National Guard enlistment as a prerequisite for firearm ownership…but I digress. This is a point that will never be agreed upon amongst our wonderful, diverse and often short-sighted national family.
And despite all that, there is a simple solution. Gun ownership is protected by the constitution. However, the ammunition for those guns is not constitutionally protected or guaranteed. At least 13 different fedeal cases have offered opinions of the same finding. The argument that guns without ammo are effectively not guns has been struck down in at least 3 federal appeals courts. It seems that years of argument by conservative legal minds against the “natural logical extension of rights” based on basic constitutionally guaranteed rights now cuts deeply against the the pro-gun lobby. Essentially, you can’t argue one right cannot arise from another right and then argue that the right to a firearm must then guarantee the right to ammunition. Either rights arise from other rights or they don’t—especially with constructionist (conservative judges).
So I say we make it harder to buy ammo than it is to buy a house. Each bullet and shell has to have a matching serial number and be registered at the time of purchase. Furthermore, the manufacture of contraband ammo carries a 25-year attempted murder charge and a fine of $1 million dollars. You see, that is the kind of deterrent that DOES work because it is placed on a process and not a possible passionate act. The gun nuts can buy and use all the ammo they want, they just have to make sure ever bullet they have is registered.
handguns and automatic weapons are the problem. lack of regulation is the problem. we all willingly allow the government to require us to pass tests to drive cars, we allow them to order us to give up part of our salary to pay for public services, we allow them to tell us how many dogs we can own on our property and make us inject our children with shots for school; but, we get so defensive about letting the government tell us HOW we can buy guns, WHERE we can buy guns, WHO can buy guns, and WHAT kinds of guns we can buy. doesn’t that sound absurd? everyday we let the government, well, govern, but on this issue we are so intolerant of regulation. are you afraid you won’t be allowed to have a gun if we regulate? why? are you a criminal, are you crazy, are you irresponsible? well then why worry? i say regulate regulate regulate. i trust the government to teach my children, i trust them to keep the food i eat safe and the water i drink clean. and yes, i would trust them to be the only authorized arms dealers and i trust them to properly license those with guns. eventually, under a regulated system, the bad guys will get their guns taken away or never even get their hands on them…but it takes time.
I found out about this Sunday evening and I couldnt believe it. Shannon is a good friend of mine from high school and I can’t believe this has happened. My heart and prayers goes out to her family…OMG and her little girl having to grow up without her mother. This is just a shock to everyone. R.I.P Shannon Henley <3 We Love You <3
So Robo,whats your point? Guns should be illegal or shouldnt be allowed in public areas?
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