Judge hands Richmond man 28 years in NK shooting

A Richmond man must serve 28 years in prison as a result of a shooting last year in New Kent that wounded a county man.

Judge Thomas B. Hoover imposed 70 years in all on Danny Maurice Bullock, 27, of 2217 Ferrand St., during a June 16 sentencing hearing in New Kent Circuit Court.

Bullock had been found guilty of four felony charges during a March 6 trial. For aggravated malicious wounding, the judge imposed 50 years with all but 20 years suspended.

On a shooting into an occupied vehicle count, 10 years, all suspended were handed down, but on separate charges of use of a firearm in commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the judge imposed five years on each with only two years suspended on the firearm use charge. All of the suspended time hangs over Bullock’s head for life.

Events unfolded around 10:30 p.m. on June 8, 2007 outside of a residence in the 7600 block of Mimosa Lane. Roland Minor Jr. of 8515 South Quaker Road in Quinton was seated in the front passenger seat of a vehicle driven by his girlfriend. Another individual was in the back seat.

Evidence at trial revealed that Bullock retrieved a .45 caliber handgun from a friend’s vehicle. As Minor and the others attempted to drive away, Bullock walked up to Minor’s side of the car, tapped on the front passenger seat window, and then began firing bullets through the glass. One bullet struck Minor on the wrist and another penetrated his pelvis.

No one else was injured. Minor, meanwhile, was unarmed. Bullock managed to evade capture until Aug. 8 when he was arrested in Henrico County.

At sentencing, prosecutor Linwood Gregory said the incident evolved from a drug deal gone bad resulting in Bullock becoming angry with Minor.

“Mr. Minor did not come across as a Sunday school teacher [at trial], but we rarely have Sunday school teachers in cases like these,” Gregory told the court.

Defense attorney John Luxton filed a motion to set aside findings of guilt, arguing that his client acted in self-defense.

“To some degree, the victim somewhat is the approximate cause for these events,” Luxton told the court. “My client was not justified for taking the actions he did, but the victim is not totally innocent himself.”

But Hoover denied the motion, labeling Bullock as the aggressor.

“Mr. Minor got in the car and the car was starting to drive away. Mr. Minor is literally a sitting duck,” the judge said.

Bullock apologized to the court, saying, “I know I shouldn’t have did that,” and adding he has two daughters to support. But Hoover closely followed Gregory’s recommendations on prison time.

Bullock pleaded not guilty at trial and has 30 days in which to file an appeal with the state appellate court.

In another, unrelated case on June 16, a Virginia Beach man was found guilty on a felony DUI charge and pleaded guilty to an amended count of misdemeanor driving in violation of alcohol-related restrictions.

Alphonso Norris Coefield, 52, of 686 Goose Creek Road, was indicted in May on the felony DUI count and felony driving after being declared a habitual offender. The latter charge was amended at trial to a misdemeanor.

Last Feb. 6, a State Police trooper stopped Coefield’s vehicle for speeding on Interstate 64. Coefield had no driver’s license or other identification and failed field sobriety tests. The defendant had a blood/alcohol level of .09, just over the .08 legal limit for drunk driving.

At trial, Gregory produced previous DUI convictions for Coefield in Virginia Beach in 1998 and 2002.

Hoover scheduled sentencing for August, but revoked Coefield’s bond and ordered the defendant held in jail.