Stray bullet killed Richmond woman

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 .