FREDERICKSBURG, VA — A 64-year-old Fredericksburg man was charged after deputies responded to a report of shots fired Tuesday afternoon on Key Way off Hulls Chapel Road in Stafford County, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office.
After being notified shortly before 1:30 p.m. about the incident, deputies determined that the suspect passed the victim on the road, shouted profanities, and then fired two shots before leaving the area.
Camera footage confirmed the suspect and the victim were arguing before the shots were fired, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies searched the area and located the suspect's vehicle parked at the suspect's residence.
The sheriff's office said the suspect came out of the residence and was detained. According to the sheriff's office, the suspect admitted to consuming alcohol before driving and showed signs of impairment, including what deputies described as a strong odor of alcohol on the suspect's breath.
Deputies also found an open alcoholic beverage inside the vehicle, according to the sheriff's office. Inside the residence, deputies recovered a firearm with a loaded magazine inserted and a spent shell casing on a nearby table.
The suspect, identified as Darrell Cooper of Fredericksburg, was charged with disorderly conduct, brandishing a firearm and reckless handling of a firearm, according to the sheriff's office.
Cooper was arraigned Wednesday morning in Stafford General District Court and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 24, according to court documents. He remains in custody.
All three charges Cooper is facing are Class 1 misdemeanors. If convicted on any of these charges, he faces a possible sentence of up to 12 months in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500, according to police.
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