Charges Filed After Incident at Hopewell Restaurant Seriously Injures Local Woman
By Stafff Reports
Sep 21, 2012, 11:06
Police have filed criminal charges and identified the parties involved in an early morning incident in the parking lot of the Jolly Rogers restaurant in Hopewell that hospitalized two people.
One of the hospitalized individuals, Paul Scott Bass, 52, of Hopewell, has been charged with attempted malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, reckless handling of a firearm and discharging a firearm in the city.
Police responded to a shots fired call at 1:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, arriving at the restaurant, located in the 2500 block of Oaklawn Blvd. to find two people injured.
Hopewell Police have determined that Bass displayed and discharged the small caliber handgun found at the scene. A driver fleeing the area where Bass was shooting struck 44-year-old Deia Wilkerson of Hopewell and Bass.
Bass was taken to Southside Regional Medical Center with a self-inflicted gun shot wound to his hand and minor injuries from the vehicle.
Wilkerson, who was flown to VCU Medical Center, remains in serious condition.
Bass is being held without bond at Riverside Regional Jail.
No charges have been filed against the driver at this point.
On Thursday afternoon, Police Chief John Keohane characterized the process of working the case that was initially treated as a hit and run as “difficult.”
“It’s very difficult,” he said. “We’re dealing with levels of intoxication and injury also.”
He said the police had heard several different versions of what occurred and were sorting through conflicting stories and working with at least one uncooperative witness.
In a press update released Thursday evening, Keohane stated, “Due to a quick response and initial investigation by patrol officers and a relentless follow up by detectives, this case was brought to a rapid conclusion; teamwork was the key.”
Police are still investigating the incident and are asking anyone who may have seen anything relevant to the case to contact Detective Sgt. Rose Camacho of the Hopewell Police Department at (804) 541-2222.
