ROANOKE, Va. – Commonwealth’s Attorney Donald Caldwell is speaking following a Saturday night shooting at a Food Lion on Peters Creek Road.
“It is senseless, it is asinine,” Caldwell said. “Even before you get to the use of the gun, why we’ve got to take our personal problems in a grocery store.”
Shoppers were present Saturday night as shots were fired inside the Food Lion.
Caldwell said it all started with an argument between people who knew each other.
“That led to one man taking off his jacket throwing it down and then proceeding to throw a haymaker-type punch at the other man that went over into a you know, food item rack, they’re down on the floor,” Caldwell said.
He said the man who got punched then pulled out a gun and fired several rounds.
Caldwell said Roanoke police are still investigating the case. He said the shooter is cooperative.
“It really deserves a methodical investigation,” Caldwell said. “Just saying we’ll charge him and then you know put him through all that and drop the charge that doesn’t accomplish much.”
Caldwell said the shooter was punched first, which could carry weight.
“It appears there’s going to be an issue of self defense in this situation,” he said. “That’s why no immediate charges were taken out. We’re going to have to find out in essence who is the bad guy here.”
We reached out to Food Lion officials, but they declined to comment.