Rowdy groomsman shoots wedding guest after being asked to leave, Virginia cops say
A drunk groomsman shot a guest of a Virginia wedding reception in the leg, deputies said.
Initially, the groomsman was asked to leave the reception at an event venue in Winchester on Dec. 9 after “becoming overly intoxicated,” according to a Dec. 10 Frederick County Sheriff’s Office news release.
The request for his departure wasn’t received well, and guests told deputies the 22-year-old man threatened to shoot anyone still at the venue by the time he came back.
The groomsman eventually left wedding guests saw the man “driving recklessly and doing (doughnuts)” in the venue parking lot, according to the sheriff’s office.
Eventually, a 34-year-old man confronted the groomsman, who deputies said then shot the man in the leg. The groomsman then fled the area, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies were called to the Historic Jordan Springs when they received reports of a suspect threatening to shoot people at the event.
After also receiving information that there were potentially shots fired at the venue, the sheriff’s office said two deputies found the 34-year-old man shot in the leg and began giving him first aid.
As deputies arrived to the venue, one noticed a vehicle leaving the area, according to the release. Other deputies in the area were then told the vehicle information to keep an eye out, the sheriff’s office said.
Another deputy later found the man “driving erratically,” the sheriff’s office said, and detained him during a traffic stop.
The man was identified by deputies as John Morningstar, and he was charged with assault with malicious intent, DUI and three counts of reckless handling of firearms, according to Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center inmate records.
He has no bond posted, inmate records show.
While Morningstar was pulled over, the deputy saw what seemed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the man’s foot, the sheriff’s office said. EMS arrived, and he was sent to Winchester Medical Center, as was the 34-year-old who was shot.
Both men were in stable condition with “non-life threatening injuries” as of Dec. 10, the sheriff’s office said.
Winchester is about 75 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.
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