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Prime Outlets Food Court Gunman GuiltyBy Kimberly Lenz Friday, October 08, 2010 
Rashaun Chapman
Rashaun Chapman, who was charged with discharging a firearm in public, reckless handling of a firearm and brandishing a firearm, did not testify during the trial in Williamsburg James City County General District Court. Two witnesses who saw the shooting did. They described a quick series of events that began with a pair of men, one of whom was Chapman, exiting the men's restroom at the food court after some apparent commotion inside. The witnesses saw the pair head toward an exit, then change direction when they heard a third man leave the restroom and head for a different exit. The witnesses, both workers at a food court business, had been getting ready to open around 9 a.m. Aug. 11 when they saw the pair reach the exit. Both identified Chapman as the man who pointed a firearm out the door, then fired several shots. Neither witness could see "down range" to any target. Both said Chapman then exited the food court, after which they heard what sounded like several more reports from a firearm. They described seeing Chapman and another man as they re-entered the food court, cutting through as they exited the front door and got into a silver Ford Mustang. The witnesses were able to write down a partial license plate, and a James City Police officer stopped the vehicle a short time later based on that description. Defense attorney Tim Clancy tried to get two of the charges - reckless handling of a firearm and brandishing a firearm - dropped. He said the charges were inappropriate because the witnesses never were in the line of fire or threatened; the shooting took place some 50 feet away, and the gun was pointing away from the witnesses. Judge Colleen Killilea disagreed, calling the case "very troubling" as she noted that Chapman had been found guilty of carrying a concealed weapon in Newport News on May 10. She found Chapman guilty on all three charges and gave him the maximum sentence of 12 months in jail on each. No motive for the shooting was presented in court, but police during the investigation suggested it may have been a "drug deal gone bad." No victim ever came forward, and police believe no one was injured in the shooting. The man who was with Chapman was released without charges. |
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Comments
The system can be crazy at times, but this is an example of proportional justice.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/263148
He had mulitple firearms, fired shots in the post office with people present, was described as a domestic terrorist, had a bomb that turned out to be fake, held a number of people hostage for 9 hours, and had a lengthy criminal history. There were also victims in that case. The person who was shot at in the Williamsburg case did not come forward to the police, so there was a limit on the types and number of charges that could be placed. Chapman got the maximum time to serve that was available, based on what he was charged with.