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Patrons at Restaurant/Bar in Shockoe Bottom Suffers Shooting Early Holiday Morning

By Kiet Q. Vo

This holiday morning, Richmond Police announced 4 people were subject to a shooting while dining at a restaurant/bar named Wing Bar, located in the Shockoe Bottom area. The victims include two women, a man, and now deceased Kenneth Lawson, a 37-year-old father of five.

According to witnesses, the shooter was an earlier patron of Wing Bar’s who left the business and returned later with a firearm. A security guard attempted to check him for weapons before the shooter brandished the gun, shot the guard, and fired rounds into the restaurant. Officials believe that this shooting was prompted by an earlier altercation in the restaurant.

At this time, police have not released any information about the shooter. The shooting took place at an estimated 12:50am on Dec. 25th.

Two of the victims were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, while the fourth victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Officials pronounced Lawson dead at the scene.

Gloria Henderson, Kenneth Lawson’s grieving mother, has this to say about the shooting: “Before y’all take someone’s life they do have a family that has to grieve over this…turn yourself in, turn yourself in.”

Lawson is leaving behind a wife, four kids, and a three-year-old granddaughter this holiday morning.

As of now, Wing Bar’s ABC license has also been suspended following the shooting.

If you have any information that could assist with the investigation, please do not hesitate to contact Richmond Police. We as a community must strive to make our Richmond a safer space for everybody, including diners who just want to spend their holiday morning at a restaurant without fear of a shooting.

9 comments

Matt Conrad 12/28/2019 at 6:24 PM

Some years ago we instituted a practice in Union Hill and North Church Hill of opposing retail ABC-off licenses without certain restrictions because of the impact on the community. There is precedent in the administrative case law for this. Neighbors in Shockoe bottom should oppose any future ABC-on licenses based on similar, but different reasons. The sad outcome here was just as sadly predictable.

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Jennifer Wright 12/28/2019 at 6:38 PM

Matt Conrad Did I miss the part where alcohol was involved?

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Becca Best 12/28/2019 at 6:41 PM

It’s a bar/restaurant

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Kiet Vo 01/01/2020 at 6:22 PM

Hi Becca, thank you for noticing the article not mentioning it’s also a bar. I went ahead and revised it!

Thank you for commenting!

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Jennifer Wright 12/28/2019 at 6:57 PM

And if someone gets shot in a school, we should ban schools?

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Jessica Shook 12/28/2019 at 7:01 PM

Jennifer Wright remember—guns don’t kill people, alcohol kills people!

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Chris Houlihan 12/28/2019 at 7:14 PM

There is reason to think that alcohol may have been a factor. Wing Bar had their ABC license suspended after the incident, citing “a continued threat to public safety”. A full, formal investigation is underway.

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John Pelham Schwartz 12/28/2019 at 9:38 PM

Tired of excuses….. This kind of behavior is beyond inexcusable….

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Kiet Vo 01/01/2020 at 10:38 PM

Agreed, John…. Absolutely infuriating for this senseless violence to have happened.

Reply

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