Gunfire at a Prince George bonfire leaves one person dead and another critically wounded

Bill Atkinson, The Progress-Index
·2 min read

PRINCE GEORGE — County police say one man is dead and another person critically injured in a shooting about a half-hour after the new year began.

It happened around 12:30 a.m. at a bonfire party on Ellis Road in the Spring Grove area of the county, police chief Keith Early said. Officers responding to a shots-fired call found two victims lying in a field where approximately 100 people had gathered.

One of the victims, Tramaz Tynes, 20, of Surry County, was already dead of gunshot wounds. A second unidentified victim from Dinwiddie County was rushed to VCU Medical Center in Richmond with life-threatening injuries.

Tramaz Tynes, shown in this undated photo, was a running back for the Williamsburg Colonials semi-pro football team.
Tramaz Tynes, shown in this undated photo, was a running back for the Williamsburg Colonials semi-pro football team.

"People were quickly dispersing from the scene as officers were arriving," Early said, adding they were "confident' someone at the party saw what happened.

Tynes played for the Williamsburg Colonials, a semi-pro football team. On Facebook, the team mourned his loss.

"You will never be forgotten by our franchise as one of the best players at this level," the Colonials said in a post. "You had so much going for you. Working to get back to college ball. This nonsense has to stop! Rest easy sir. [broken heart emojis]"

"If y’all knew him, y’all knew the dog in him and his potential to be playing the next level," friend DeMarcus Boatwright of Newport News wrote on Facebook.

Anyone who may have information about the shootings is asked to contact Prince George Detective Wayne Newsome at (804) 863-1863, Prince George Police at (804) 733-2773, or Crime Solvers at (804) 733-2777. Information may also be shared through the P3Tips mobile app.

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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is daily news coach for USA TODAY's Southeast Region-Unified Central, which includes Virginia, West Virginia and central North Carolina. He is based in Petersburg, Virginia. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia man shot to death at New Year's party in Prince George