A Williamsburg man will serve two months in jail for shooting a handgun into the air in self-defense near Zable Stadium on the William & Mary campus.
Rakeem Deron James, 24, was found guilty Thursday of reckless handling of a firearm following a Feb. 26 altercation involving James’ friends at the Brickhouse Tavern.
Police responded to the Zable Stadium around 1:40 a.m. after a Williamsburg officer heard several shots fired, according to a criminal complaint filed in open court.
Just before the shots were fired, an altercation had broken out between James’ friends and another group of men at the Brickhouse Tavern on Scotland Street, James’ attorney Patrick Kelley said.
Although James was not involved in the conflict, three or four men followed James out to his girlfriend’s vehicle, which was parked in the Zable Stadium parking lot at William & Mary, Kelley said.
James told police he heard the group of men making threatening remarks and gestures toward him, court documents state.
Kelley said James was concerned he would not be able to defend himself due to medical issues stemming from a past motorcycle accident, so he fired several rounds into the air from his gun.
James obtained a concealed carry permit after sustaining serious injuries from the motorcycle accident, Kelley said.
After the shots were fired, James sat in the back of his girlfriend’s vehicle and waited for police, Kelley said.
James drank some alcohol that night, Kelley said, but officers did not perform any sobriety tests on him. Kelley added he did not believe James was significantly intoxicated.
While James had a concealed carry permit, Williamsburg James City County General District Court Judge Colleen Killilea said the case “obviously concerns” her because there was alcohol and a gun involved.
Despite James’ concealed carry permit, the Code of Virginia prohibits any person with a concealed carry permit from consuming alcohol while carrying a gun.
“You shoot [the rounds] and they don’t just go up into the atmosphere – they have to go somewhere,” Killilea said.
Killilea sentenced James to six months in jail with four months suspended for a period of five years. Upon his release, he will be put on probation and not allowed to carry any firearms.
At the end of the five-year period, James may reapply for a concealed carry permit, she said.
The judge also ordered James to be banned from college property, at William & Mary’s request.
