Two days after a gunman randomly opened fire on two visitors to Virginia’s Blue Ridge Parkway, there was tension in the air as nearby residents worried about going near the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Locals who had considered taking the Skyline Drive into the Shenandoah National Park hesitated at the thought that a manhunt was underway and the gunman had not been apprehended.
Meanwhile, one of the victims of Monday night’s shooting remained in critical condition at the University of Virginia after a shotgun blast knocked him over a 100-foot cliff. He was identified as 27-year-old Charlottesville disc jockey Tim Davis who worked at WNRN. His 18-year-old companion, also injured, was a co-worker at the radio station.
As the two sat at Rock Point Overlook watching the sunset around 7:30, the gunman allegedly drove up behind them and pointed a shotgun out the window of his vehicle, shooting both in the back before disappearing. The young woman flagged down a passing vehicle and summoned help for her friend who had fallen over the cliff.
No one knows where the gunman went and there has been no word of sightings since the shooting. The area where the crime took place is popular with hikers and visitors to the Parkway especially the past several weeks because winter snowstorms had kept the scenic drive closed for months.
The gunman is described as a white male, medium build, with long gray hair who may be driving a red or maroon Ford Taurus. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Central Shenandoah Crime Stoppers (1-800-322-2017) or the Augusta County Sheriff’s Department (540-245-5333).
