Two Charged In Mall Parking Lot Shooting
Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office says a drug deal went awry and led to the shooting.
Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office 1st Sgt. James Konicki said that the two men shot in the parking lot of the Spotsylvania Towne Centre were involved in a drug deal that turned violent. He said a large amount of marijuana has been recovered.
Mathew Johnson, 29, of Spotsylvania County has been charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell and Travis Burley, 25, of Richmond has been charged with malicious wounding, he said.
Konicki said investigators originally had thought the incident was a gun deal that went wrong. A gun was also taken as evidence. Investigators also thought a fourth person was invovled in the incident, but now believe only three were involved.
He said that a third unknown black male was with Burley. That suspect is described as a thin black male. Konicki said Burley and the unknown male met Johnson at the Spotsylvania Towne Center mall parking lot to allegedly buy drugs.
Burley and the unknown male got into Johnson's vehicle and while in the vehicle they got into some sort of argument, said Konicki. Burley allegedly pulled out a gun and a scuffle ensued, he said. Johnson was shot in the left calf and left hand. Burley was accidentally shot in his left hand. Both suspects are at Mary Washington Hospital. The shooting happened between 7 and 8 p.m. Wednesday.
There were two crimes scenes—one at the mall and one near the Best Western, where one of the suspects parked his car and called 911 while he was bleeding on the sidewalk, said Sheriff Roger Harris.
Konicki said additional charges are pending. The Fredericksburg Police Department is assisting in the investigation looking for witnesses at the Best Western and America's Best Value Hotel. Officers are going door-to-door to the hotels.
Related News:
Updated: Two Shot in Parking Lot at Spotsylvania Towne Centre
Jsmith
12:09 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012
Great work Spotsy Sheriffs!
Liz French
8:31 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012
Awesome job by the sherriffs office! This place get's scarier and scarier as time goes on... tell me again why we need to legalize pot??
Anonymous
8:54 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012
^because then back door drug deals like that wouldn't happen...
Liz French
10:14 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012
you think not anon?? all that crap rots your brain and makes you do stupid things and it's very few that stop with pot.. Pot is the platform for other drugs. Once pot doesn't do it anymore what should we legalize next?? how about cocaine?? or hey I know herion.. yeah we'll go there next and when helf the youth of the nation is stoned off their butts then what?? Put the pipe down and wake up.
Anonymous
7:36 pm on Thursday, July 12, 2012
It's extremely funny that you think just because I posted my opinion on this issue, that you automatically assume that I smoke pot, which for your information I don't. Get off your high horse and stop being so judgmental.
1Ronald
9:09 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012
I've always said that those who are against decriminalization of drugs have some financial stake in keeping them illegal. All drugs should be legal and then we wouldn't have to pay to warehouse 50% of the American jail population that are there for victimless crimes. Even Marion Gordon (Pat) Robertson now agrees with this but has it wrong when he claims it's the Liberals who want the drugs illegal. Most people have sense enough to stay away from that which is ultimately harmful. Although I cease to be amazed at those who will pay their good money to purchase and consume a cancer causing agent (alcohol). Certainly the bar rats will hate me for this. You either pay now, or you pay later. And, oh yes, wine is good for your heart. Who tells you this? The multi-billion dollar alcohol industry and any physician they can pay to agree with them. Look at the crap they're telling you, and you even see this in the local paper, about the sun being harmful. Be sure to slather yourself with (cancer-causing) sunscreen. And from all of the pale faces running around--it's working, they do believe this, trust me. That industry ALSO needs your money. But, you needn't worry. When you die it will be listed as "natural causes" whatever that is.
leapyrbaby
10:36 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012
how is weed any different than drinking??? both are addicting and make you do stupid things.
Heather
10:59 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012
If people want to use drugs, they will. Just because something is legal or illegal doesn't make much difference. If weed was legal, I wouldn't use it just because I can legally. But if it were legal, you take the power away from the drug dealers and dangerous criminals. You don't see dealers on the corner selling alcohol. You make something legal and regulate it and tax the product like alcohol and cigs and let adults decide how they want to destroy their bodies. It's no worse than fast food and all the other processed foods and drinks available. That kills too but it's your choice to eat it or not.
Liz French
11:01 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012
So here is the major difference. Alcohol is eliminated from the body at a rate of approximately 1 drink per hour, ergo when you drink a 12 pack, you have none in your system 12 hours later. But marijuana can stay in your system up to 30 days after smoking, ergo you smoke a joint on Friday night and the effects can still be measured the next week or more. Also, alcohol production is regulated, marijuana production is unregulated and most marijuana cigarettes (at today's standards) contain 20 times the amount of cancer causing agents than a regular cigarette
Liz French
11:01 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012
The prevalence of both alcohol and cannabis use and the high morbidity associated with motor vehicle crashes has lead to a plethora of research on the link between the two. Drunk drivers are involved in 25% of motor vehicle fatalities, and many accidents involve drivers who test positive for cannabis. Cannabis and alcohol acutely impair several driving-related skills in a dose-related fashion, but the effects of cannabis vary more between individuals than they do with alcohol because of tolerance, differences in smoking technique, and different absorptions of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana. Detrimental effects of cannabis use vary in a dose-related fashion, and are more pronounced with highly automatic driving functions than with more complex tasks that require conscious control, whereas with alcohol produces an opposite pattern of impairment. Because of both this and an increased awareness that they are impaired, marijuana smokers tend to compensate effectively while driving by utilizing a variety of behavioral strategies. Combining marijuana with alcohol eliminates the ability to use such strategies effectively, however, and results in impairment even at doses which would be insignificant were they of either drug alone. (NIH.ORG)
There are plenty of differences....
d
11:58 am on Saturday, July 14, 2012
Most people that want to legalize pot are not that educated Ronald and Liz they already have deficiencies, Pot always leads to the next level of high.Interview the 21yr old that killed the drug dealer I bet he started with pot progressed to cocaine how about the meth lab in spotsy bet they all started with pot and then moved on. anyone with half a brain wouldnt be legalizing pot but the advocates for leagalization only have half a brain they are pot heads