Thursday, May 01, 2008
Police: Tensions crested in shooting
Authorities say a shooting victim and suspect were mired in long-standing discord over a woman.
Brian Sheppard
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The fatal shooting Tuesday at a Salem grocery store was the culmination of tensions -- between two men over a woman -- that date at least to last summer, authorities said.
Brian S. Sheppard, 38, of Christiansburg, is accused of shooting James R. Fleshman Jr. at least 12 times near the entrance of a Food Lion on Wildwood Road, said Salem spokeswoman Melinda Payne.
Fleshman, 48, of Roanoke County, had apparently been dating Sheppard's estranged wife, Payne said.
Sheppard and his wife, Melissa Sheppard, had been separated for more than a year and filed for divorce last month, according to court records.
Fleshman, a seven-year employee of Pepsi, was working as a customer representative when he was shot, said company spokesman Jeff Dahncke.
The confrontation between Sheppard and Fleshman wasn't their first, Payne said.
In August, Sheppard was charged with assaulting Fleshman in Radford, said Commonwealth's Attorney Chris Rehak.
Sheppard was found guilty of the misdemeanor charge in November. His six-month jail sentence was suspended, and he was placed on unsupervised probation for a year.
"He was prohibited from having any contact with the victim, which obviously he violated," Rehak said.
He could not recall details about the assault, but said "it involved an estranged relationship with a woman.
"Some kind of triangle. Obviously high tension, high emotions," Rehak said.
Payne said police were called to Tuesday's shooting about 3 p.m. Fleshman was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect had fled.
Montgomery County authorities said they detained Sheppard about 3:15 p.m. just inside Christiansburg town limits on Roanoke Road.
He is charged with first-degree murder and is being held at the Roanoke County-Salem Jail. A bond hearing has not been set.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June.
Sheppard's aunt and uncle did not want to be interviewed. Other family could not be reached.
Melissa Sheppard also could not be reached.
Neighbors said Brian Sheppard was rarely seen at his one-story house, except when he was mowing or playing in the yard with his 5-year-old daughter.
Wednesday afternoon, those close to Fleshman spoke fondly in their recollections.
His ex-wife, Cindy Francisco, remembered him as a loving father to their three children, ranging in ages from 17 to 21.
"He always stayed involved with them," she said.
Fleshman's sister, Sharon St. Clair of Manassas, said, "God was an important thing in his life." She said her brother had been saved.
Another sister, Cindy Edmonds, didn't want to talk in detail.
"Ask that people pray for us," she said.
News researcher Belinda Harris and staff writers Mike Gangloff, Shawna Morrison, Lindsay Key and Mike Allen contributed to this report.
amanda.codispoti@roanoke.com 981-3334
neil.harvey@roanoke.com 981-3349
