Oct. 6 update:
Police have formally charged Joseph Paul Adams with 24 offenses related to the Oct. 5 Monticello Avenue road rage shooting incident that left two people hospitalized.
The charges are as follows:
- Two counts of Aggravated Malicious Wounding (§ 18.2-51.2)
- Three counts of Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony (§ 18.2-53.1)
- Five counts of Reckless Handling of a Firearm (§ 18.2-56.1)
- One count of Driving Under the Influence (§ 18.2-266)
- Five counts of Shooting at a Vehicle (§ 18.2-154)
- Five counts of Shooting from a Vehicle (§ 18.2-286.1)
- Three counts of Brandishing a Firearm (§ 18.2-282)
Original story:
JAMES CITY COUNTY — A man is in custody following a road rage incident at the intersection of Centerville Road and Monticello Avenue that escalated into a shooting, leaving two people injured Saturday afternoon.
According to officials, the James City County Police and Fire Departments responded to reports of a shooting with gunshot patients near Monticello Avenue and Greensprings Plantation Drive at approximately 3 p.m. on Oct. 5.
Two individuals sustained gunshot wounds during the incident, which occurred at the intersection of Centerville Road and Monticello Avenue.
According to police, the shooting occurred as a vehicle carrying three occupants turned from Centerville Road onto Monticello Avenue. The suspect, later identified as 44-year-old Joseph Adams of Surry County, was traveling on Centerville Road toward John Tyler Highway and fired multiple shots from his vehicle into the victims’ vehicle before fleeing the scene.
The victims’ vehicle came to a stop at the intersection of Monticello Avenue and Greensprings Plantation Drive where first responders began lifesaving medical treatment, according to officials.
Police learned that Adams’ vehicle was aboard the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry, which was traveling from James City County to Surry County, and the ferry was held at the dock once it arrived on the Surry side of the route, where personnel from the Surry County Sheriff’s Office arrived and took Adams into custody without incident.
Further investigation confirmed Adams as the shooter, and investigators suspected that he was under the influence of alcohol, police said.
James City County medics provided medical care to the victims. One adult female was airlifted to VCU Medical Center via LifeEvac with life-threatening injuries, and a juvenile was transported by ground to Riverside Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The third occupant of the vehicle was unharmed.
No further information on the status of the victims was available as of Saturday night.
Adams was initially arrested Saturday for driving under the influence and transported to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, police said.
Monticello Avenue, which had been closed between Centerville Road and Powhatan Secondary, was reopened to traffic around 7 p.m.
The James City County Police Department noted the actions of several bystanders who “immediately stepped in to aid the victims of this crime, and those individuals are highly commended for their courageous actions.”
The James City County Police Department also extended its appreciation to the Surry County Sheriff’s Office for its assistance, to the Virginia State Police for assisting with traffic control, and to the James City County Fire Department for its medical response. It also recognized “the collaborative efforts of the various Units and Divisions within the Police Department, whose contributions were instrumental in managing this incident.”
