Attempted Murder Charge Certified to Grand Jury in March Shooting

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By Carol Vaughn —

A judge certified to the grand jury charges against Robert James Northan, 34, of Parksley, in connection with a shooting near Accomac in March.
Judge Gordon Vincent in Accomack County General District Court Friday certified two charges against Northan and dismissed a third charge. Vincent reduced a charge of attempted first-degree murder to attempted second-degree murder.
Northan also is charged with use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
A charge of use of a firearm by a convicted felon was dismissed after the commonwealth failed to introduce evidence of a prior conviction during the preliminary hearing.
Accomack County Sheriff Todd Wessells testified he responded to a residence at 24488 Tyler Lane for a call of shots fired on March 25 at around 2:26 p.m.
Wessells said when he arrived, he found Donald Veney and his grandmother outside the front door of the residence.
Donald Veney “had blood coming from his mouth, his face, and his back,” Wessells testified.
Veney was standing when Wessells arrived, but then “he just told me that RJ had shot him and he collapsed on the porch,” Wessells said, adding the victim had blood coming from his back and “as he was talking, he was blowing out blood from his mouth.”
After Major Shane Childress of the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene, Wessells asked Childress to get him a pair of gloves and Wessells then proceeded to apply pressure to a gunshot wound on Veney’s back for several minutes until an ambulance arrived.
Veney was transported to Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital.
Wessells asked Veney who shot him, and Veney again said RJ, according to Wessells’ testimony.
“I said, ‘RJ Northan?’ — and he said yes,” Wessells said.
Childers and the ambulance crew heard the statement, Wessells said.
Donald Veney was called to testify next.
He replied in the negative to questions from Accomack County Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan about whether he recalled the incident or being shot, and also replied in the negative to a question about whether he knows Northan.
Defense attorney Brandon Wilder said the alleged victim “gave no testimony” and added, “There’s very little corroborating evidence” regarding injuries or a firearm.
He asked the judge to dismiss the charges, or, if not, to reduce the attempted first-degree murder to attempted second-degree murder.
Morgan agreed the charge “perhaps” should be reduced to attempted second-degree murder.
Northan was arrested by U.S. Marshals fugitive task force members in a Pocomoke City, Md. motel on Thursday, April 23.
He remains incarcerated.
A press release from the U. S. Marshals Office described Northan as a Bloods gang member.

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