Crime and Public Safety
On February 21, 2022 at approximately 8:30 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 300 block of Westside Blvd NW. Responding officers located an adult female with what appeared to be a non-life threatening injury outside of a residence. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the woman to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment. Preliminary investigation indicates the woman was outside of the residence when she was struck by gunfire. No suspects were located on scene and no arrests have been made regarding this investigation. No other details are available at this time. This remains an ongoing
investigation.
MGN
On Monday February 21, 2022, a Suzuki motorcycle driven by Zachary Duncan was traveling westbound on W. Main St. in Roanoke County. The motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck a Toyota Tundra pickup truck driven by David Henderson. Mr. Duncan was wearing a helmet but was thrown from the bike and died at the scene. Mr. Henderson was not injured. Drugs and alcohol were not a factor in this crash and the investigation is ongoing. No charges are pending.
A federal Animal Welfare Act citation over its failure to have direct control of an elephant is reigniting efforts by PETA to “rescue” that elephant from a nearby zoo. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
Click HERE for information to call or email
WFXR is reporting that it went off-air due to a shooting in Roanoke. Officials tell WFXR that a fiber sheath was hit by a bullet sometime after midnight. Technicians were able to get the station back on air.
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) – Police say a man stole an ambulance near a Maryland hospital early Friday and drove it to northern Virginia, where he was taken into custody.
WTOP-FM reports that Montgomery County Police Officer Casandra Tressler said the carjacking took place around 2:45 a.m. near Adventist Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville. Montgomery County police and Virginia State Police say the man drove the ambulance to Virginia.
Virginia State Police stopped the ambulance on state Route 110 before the exit to Interstate 395, near the Pentagon. The man has been taken to Arlington County’s jail.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a shooting that occurred during the early morning hours of February 18, 2022. At approximately 1:05 am, the Martinsville-Henry County Emergency 911 Center received a call of a subject that was shot in the abdomen at 964 Southland Drive, Martinsville, Virginia.
Deputies from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and made contact with Ray E. Durflinger Jr, 42, of 964 Southland Drive. Mr. Durflinger had suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He was transported to SOVAH Health Martinsville and subsequently air-lifted to a North Carolina hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.
Through the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Jake Raleigh Robertson was at Mr. Durflinger’s residence, where an argument ensued outside near the roadway. During the argument, Robertson produced a firearm and shot Mr. Durflinger one time. Robertson fled the scene and was subsequently taken into custody during a traffic stop. Jake Raleigh Robertson, 23, of Axton, Virginia, was arrested and charged with Aggravated Malicious Wounding and Use of Firearm in Commission of Felony. He is currently held in the Henry County Jail with no bond.
MGN
Roanoke County police say one man is dead and another is in jail after a fatal shooting yesterday along Williamson Road. It happened on the 5400 block a little north of Hershberger Road. Officials identify the victim as 34-year-old Cody Gibson of Roanoke. Police arrested 22-year-old Brandon Dunbar of Roanoke this morning, charging him with second-degree murder and a firearms count.
NEWS RELEASE: (Roanoke County, VA—February 16, 2022) At approximately 6 p.m. Tuesday, Roanoke County police officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 5400 block of Williamson Road. Arriving officers located one male victim with an apparent gunshot wound and began life-saving measures until Roanoke County Fire & Rescue arrived on scene. The victim was transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital where he later died. The victim is identified as Cody Allen Gibson, 34, of Roanoke City.
Detectives were able to identify the suspect and he was taken into custody Wednesday morning by the Roanoke County Police Department and U.S. Marshals. The suspect is identified as Brandon Lee Dunbar, 22, of Roanoke City. He is charged with Second Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony. No further information is available at this time.
MGN
A Buena Vista man is charged with killing his dad before setting the house on fire. State Police say it all happened last Friday, when the body of 59-year Phillip Patterson II was discovered inside his burned-out home. Troopers have now charged his son, 35-year-old Jonathan Patterson, with murder and arson. The victim served on Buena Vista’s police force for 32 years before leaving in 2014 as Assistant Chief.
NEWS RELEASE: ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. – The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Salem Field Office has arrested Jonathan K. Patterson, 35, of Buena Vista, Va., on one felony count of murder and one felony count of arson in connection with an incident that occurred at a Buena Vista residence last Friday. Patterson is being held at the Rockbridge County Jail without bond.
On Friday (Feb. 11, 2022) at 9:40 a.m., the Virginia State Police received a request from Buena Vista Police Department to investigate a suspicious fire at a residence in the 1300 block of Cherry Avenue in the City of Buena Vista. The Buena Vista Police Department had responded to a request for a “welfare check” at the residence that morning. When officers arrived, they discovered the home was on fire. The Buena Vista Fire Department immediately responded to the scene. Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters discovered the remains of a male subject inside the residence.
The remains were transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Roanoke for autopsy, examination and positive identification. At this stage of the investigation, state police have confirmed that Phillip Edmond Patterson II, 59, of Buena Vista, Va., was deceased prior to the fire being set. The cause of his death remains under investigation.
Working with the Buena Vista Police Department and Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office, Jonathan Patterson was identified as a suspect in the fire and his father’s death. By 10:40 a.m. Friday, the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office located and took Jonathan Patterson into custody at his residence on Still House Drive in Buena Vista. The Virginia State Police charged Patterson with the homicide and the arson.
The Virginia State Police investigation remains ongoing at this time.
MGN
UPDATED NEWS RELEASE: In the early morning hours of February 3rd, 2022, Roanoke Fire-EMS responded to a residential structure fire at 1311 Church Ave SE. Upon arrival, crews found the residence to be fully involved with heavy smoke and flames and an additional exposure structure partially involved. The primary residence at 1311 Church Ave SE was a total loss. During the course of the fire investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office, a victim was found inside the residence. The victim was confirmed to be Joshua D. Williams – 32 years of age. The medical examiner’s office determined a preliminary cause of death to be smoke inhalation. The Fire Marshal’s Office continues to investigate the incident, however, due to the significant fire damage of the residence the cause of the fire is presently classified as undetermined.
PREVIOUS: On Thursday, February 3, at 3:34 a.m., Roanoke Fire-EMS was dispatched to the 1300 block of Church Ave SE for a two alarm structure fire. Units arrived to find one house fully involved and flames showing from a neighboring house. After the fire was extinguished, crews discovered a victim inside the house during their investigation. The victim died as a result of injuries sustained in the fire. The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the exact cause of death. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Roanoke County FB photo
UPDATE: Three people and a dog are displaced following a house fire in the 6000 block of Monet Drive in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke County that’s been ruled accidental in nature. There were no injuries reported. The fire was contained yesterday mainly to an upstairs bedroom, with smoke and water damage to other areas of the house. Damages estimated at $150,000.
From Roanoke County Fire and Rescue: Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded at 7:51 p.m. on Sunday, February 13, 2022, to the 6000 block of Monet Drive, in the Cave Spring area, for the report of a residential structure fire. Upon arrival Units from Station 3 (Cave Spring) found a two-story home with smoke showing from the front door and the rear of the structure. The home was occupied by three adults and a dog at the time of the fire. All of the occupants, and the dog, were able to evacuate safely without injury. The fire was brought under control in about 15 minutes. The occupants of the home will be displaced. There were no other injuries. The fire was contained mainly to an upstairs bedroom, with smoke and water damage to other areas of the house. We appreciate the assistance of Salem Fire and EMS on this call. The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office is on scene to investigate a cause and provide a damage estimate.