Man allegedly shoots woman in neck
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John Wesley Morris has been charged with malicious wounding.county mugshot
As snow was falling over the county early Sunday morning, gunfire rang out just off of Hydraulic Road, and a woman became the year's first victim of a shooting in Albemarle. Charged in the incident is John Wesley Morris, a 53-year-old Charlottesville resident, who reportedly fled the scene and was captured in his vehicle in the Free Union/Earlysville area less than two hours later.
The victim, an unnamed woman, received a gunshot wound to her neck, but her injuries were described by an Albemarle County Police Department release as "non life-threatening." The release indicates that the March 27 incident occurred around 1:40am in the 1800 block of Inglewood Drive with the arrest around 3:05am on Buck Mountain Ford Road.
Published reports suggest that Morris is no stranger to violence. In 1985 he was convicted of the double homicide of Ricky Clements and Monte Wanless at the Pantops-area Hardee's restaurant. He was sentenced to 46 years, and according to the Department of Corrections, released in January 2008.
10 comments
Stay classy Charlottesville.
Is this the same guy who murdered two young men in the 80's and drew a soft judge? Just got out recently? What's the story?
Now Charlottesville residents are SHOOTING Albemarle residents!?!?!
WOW.
Sorry about the water plan and the Meadowcreek parkway. Please don't shoot me......
meanwhile,
I thought Charlottesville residents were all liberal softies, unlike the tough county. Don't worry though, the County with it's trailer trash has plenty of stupid shootings all the time. Then they try and dump their ignorant poor on the City.
Old Timer -- So then do you think she was already a Red Neck ?
So this was the guy involved in the Pantops Hardees shooting in 1984, at which time it was quite clear that once he had it in mind to use a gun he would follow through. The first victim was shot in the chest while backing up with his arms spread out and speaking placatingly. The second victim was a friend of mine who attempted to interpose his vehicle between Morris and victim #1 who had already been shot. Morris drilled him right through his car window.
Makes you wonder why a mad dog like this was paroled in 24 years for a double homicide.
So the state, having failed in its duty, has allowed this individual to ruin another person's life. Word is, his latest victim will be paralyzed.
All of this could have been avoided in 1984 by the application of justice in the form of a length of oiled hemp rope.
great comments!
Looks like he lost his John Deere hat.
People need to know that Morris has a long history of shooting people. He murdered my my wifes brother Ricky Clements. Ricky and I were very close. He was a wonderful person. Ricky with his hands in the air was gunned down by Morris at hardees at pantops in 1984. My daughter never got to meet her uncle because of Morris. Our family had to suffer so much because of this coward. He also killed Monte Wanless while sitting in his car the same night. The judicial system failed so bad here. Morris should have gotten the death penalty. He atleast should never have gotten out at all. This evil man is not worth our tax payers money to keep a live. Me and my family plan to make sure the public and the judicial system gets all this info. Anyone who defends him is either ignorant or is just trash. This shooting just proved we were right about him. We really miss Ricky, but we know he is in heaven, and one day we will meet again.
And on a current note regarding "soft judges", we have today's news in the DP about Antonio Jah Mahl Grooms, as vicious an animal as can be bred, who killed one and wounded another during an attempted armed robbery; told his victim: "give me the money motherf%*$#$r". Murder committed during the commission of a felony like armed robbery is defined (unless I'm way off base) by Virginia law as capital murder, is it not? So why is this low-brow animal getting 29 years rather than the death penalty? Can anyone really think he can be rehabilitated in prison and not emerge, like Morris, in his forties, full of attitude and grievance, and ready to murder the next person who makes him mad or whose wallet's contents appeal to him?
Our justice system, lauded as "the envy of the world" by our prone to self congratulation media, has many sins to answer for and this latest outrage is a prime example.