A fatal shooting that reportedly occurred inside a construction site trailer at Longwood University-managed Lancer Park on Saturday evening has brought forward both criminal charges and campus safety concerns.
The Longwood University Police Department (LUPD) received a report of the shooting at 7:45 p.m. on April 6. The victim was 46-year-old John J. Robles of Mechanicsville, who was found dead at the scene.
According to a Virginia State Police press release, Darryl N. Elmore, 52, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter, reckless handling of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Virginia State Police and LUPD are continuing to investigate the incident.
Elmore worked for English Construction and was site manager for the Lancer Park project, according to Sabrina Brown, Longwood’s associate vice president for Marketing & Communications. Robles had been employed by a subcontractor for the project.
LUPD Chief of Police Bob Beach, who visited the crime scene that night, said Elmore had been living in the trailer in which the shooting occurred. It was “his home, in essence, while this project was going on.”
As for the incident itself, Beach said, “I have not heard any indication that there was a struggle; it did not seem like an argumentative situation.”
While Beach has not yet viewed the toxicology reports, he did say there was “evidence of alcohol that night.”
As of now, Beach said it is believed that Elmore turned himself in.
Lancer Park residents Carter Dodson and Travis Kuykendall allegedly overheard the shooting. Dodson and Kuykendall were exercising on a field adjacent to Elmore’s trailer around 7 p.m. Saturday evening when they first heard activity within the trailer.
Dodson said they heard “loud music” that they assumed was coming from the construction site trailer, which was about 20 yards away from the students at that point. Kuykend all heard loud banging, which sounded as if someone were banging on the walls of the trailer, four to 10 times that evening.
A few moments later, both students heard what Dodson described as a “little pop.” Kuykendall assumed someone was shooting a gun for recreational purposes. Dodson said they “didn’t hear much after that” and dismissed the sound for the time being.
Dodson and Kuykendall returned to their residence shortly after. The residents were back at their home for at least 15 minutes before they heard the sirens of police cars and ambulances. Dodson had a feeling this emergency was related to what he had heard on the field “the second I saw the lights.”
After seeing officers put up crime scene tape near the trailer, Kuykendall decided he and Dodson should report what they heard to the police. Both residents gave their statements to the police separately.
Both Dodson and Kuykendall believe they heard what they are sure was the gunshot before 7:30, despite the fact that it was reported to the police at 7:45 p.m. However, Kuykendall said, “We don’t know all of the circumstances.”
As for the handling of the incident, Beach said the LUPD officers responded to the call within three minutes of receiving it and had Elmore in custody two minutes after arriving on the scene.
However, a number of students, including junior Brandon Kelly, felt that the student body was not notified of the incident soon enough. Students received an email regarding the incident around 10:15 p.m. that evening.
Kelly, who also expressed how he felt about the university’s communication of the incident on a CBS 6 news report, said, “I knew a handful of people that got word through family members who heard about it before we did.”
While Elmore was in custody soon after police visited the scene, Kelly said an emergency alert notification text message sent to students shortly after the incident saying a shooter had been secured would have been appreciated. He believes more than two hours without any notification was too long.
“I think people were comparing it to, you know, when we’re home on vacation. We get text messages about the severe thunderstorms, but we don’t get a message about the shooter,” Kelly said. Beach said an emergency alert notification was not sent to students because Elmore was in police custody almost immediately, and the incident was not perceived an imminent threat to campus.
“Could the information have gotten to the students earlier? Yes, I think we all agree that that is reasonable, there’s no reason that couldn’t be done,” Beach stated. “I can tell you that all of us here are dedicated to making sure that happens in the future.”
