Employee Who Fired Gunshot Outside Stafford Business Charged: Police

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — A disgruntled employee fired a gunshot into the ground after an argument at a Stafford business, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office said on Friday afternoon.

Police said another employee suffered a medical emergency, but she received treatment from first responders at the scene. She was not taken to a hospital. Authorities did not specify the nature of her emergency.

The sheriff's office identified the man who fired the gunshot as 43-year-old John Evans.

Evans is charged with reckless handling of a firearm, shooting in a public place and carrying a concealed weapon. He is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

If convicted of all charges, Evans could face up to three years in prison, based on Virginia's sentencing guidelines. He was arraigned in court on Monday and his next court date is scheduled for Sept. 1.

The shooting occurred before 11 a.m. on Friday morning outside of a business in the 1100 block of Ramoth Church Road. A pair of employees at the business were having a heated argument when one of them went to the parking lot and pulled a handgun out of his truck.

The armed man then fired a gunshot into the ground before driving away in his truck, Major Shawn Kimmitz of the sheriff's office said in a video posted to Facebook. A deputy found the truck in the parking lot of Ramoth Baptist Church and took the man into custody. The deputy seized a handgun from the truck, police said.