Another tragic story of local gun violence unfolds…
Daily Progress - Charlottesville man found guilty of 2023 Albemarle murder: Charlottesville man Torius Price has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2023 killing of Joshua Jones at an Albemarle County apartment complex.
Hawes Spencer does a good job here telling a story that press releases from the police and breaking news reports can’t do, even when it comes to gun violence in our community. Over three years after Joshua Lamont Jones was shot and killed outside the Timberland Park Apartments where he lived with his mother, we learn that Justice Kilel, who was shot and killed by Orlando Wendell Allen at the Sunshine Supermarket 11 days later, was the armed driver when he and his friends, Torius Jihad Price and Taquarius Orlando Catoe-Anderson, drove to the Timberland Park Apartments with the intention of killing Allen and inadvertently shot and killed Jones.
These stories just don’t get told, as crucial facts and information often don’t come out until testimony is given and evidence is presented during hearings and trials, which can take years. Apparently, Allen had robbed Price a year earlier, and Rice was out for revenge, a prolonged beef that would result in the deaths of two young men, send three others to prison, and traumatize the families. Indeed, as I’ve learned in tracking shooting incidents in the area, they all have stories to tell about how they happened, why they happened, and how they might have been prevented. But unfortunately, there are too few reporters telling them.
Likewise, a shooting committed by a 15-year-old at Tonslar Park during a planned Halloween event has raised questions (no one was injured), and prompted the Chief of Police to hold a press conference where he said “We’ve got to have some hard conversations.” The Chief provided little information about the incident itself and what led to the shooting. Or where a 15-year-old got his hands on a loaded .45-caliber pistol. Or how something like this could have happened at a planned event in coordination with the City and the police department. As you might imagine, people have a lot of opinions about why shootings like this happen, but so far, very few answers about how to make them stop.
Businesses on East High Street around Free Bridge sound the alarm
As the DTM recently reported, the City is about to launch an 18-month study of East High Street near Free Bridge, which is being funded by VDOT’s STARS program, but this choke point where increasing traffic and the growth of a cluster of businesses have collided needs immediate attention, according to this recent petition from business owners in the area.
“For years, excessive vehicle speeds, reckless driving, and unsafe road conditions have posed serious and well-documented risks along East High Street,” reads the petition. “Some examples include a car driving into the side of the building currently occupied by Hogwaller Brewing, a cyclist being hit by a vehicle on East High Street and suffering serious injury last year, and a car driving into the sign located in front of SugarBear Ice Cream. There are no shortage of near misses and other examples.” The petition calls on the City to improve sidewalks and pedestrian infrastructure, installation of a speed camera, better lane markings, and other measures without delay.
“Every additional delay prolongs an unacceptable risk of serious injury or death,” the petition reads.
Meanwhile, according to Alexis Mehretab, a spokesperson for VDOT, the planned study “will consider intersection alternatives, lane configuration changes and traffic signal modifications, along with improvements for people walking and bicycling. The primary focus is on identifying practical, near-term solutions that could be implemented without large-scale modifications to the bridge itself.”
Former Charlottesville Police Chief at the center of historic moment
Former Charlottesville Police Chief and current Jackson, Mississippi Police Chief RaShall Brackney presided over crowd control at the celebration for Senator-elect Scott Colom’s historic victory. Watch:
Full video from Roland Martin worth watching for the atmosphere of the event: