Gun goes off in utility vehicle, killing Fluvanna man

ZION CROSSROADS — A Fluvanna County man was shot in the head Friday evening in what appeared to be a deadly accident while driving a Gator utility vehicle down a bumpy gravel road.

The victim, a middle-aged man who had not been identified as of press time, was driving with a passenger down Country Lane when a .22-caliber rifle inside the vehicle went off and struck the victim in the head.

The vehicle crashed into a tree and the passenger, who also had not been identified, suffered a broken arm and a cut to his forehead.

“When he hit that tree, I went running out of my house. He was slumping over in the driver’s seat,” said Margaret Ragland, the victim’s neighbor who called 911. “I was going to do CPR, but he was already dead.”

The passenger told Ragland that the rifle went off after the vehicle hit a pothole. The passenger was rushed to the University of Virginia Medical Center for treatment.

There was no word late Friday on the condition of the passenger, a man who also lives in the woodsy Country Lane neighborhood off Oliver Creek Road west of Zion Crossroads.

Fluvanna County authorities at the scene said it was too early to know if the shooting was indeed an accident or if foul play was involved.

“We’re not sure right now,” said Lt. Aaron Hurd of the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office. “We’re still very early in the investigation.”

Hurd said it was too early to know if alcohol or drugs played a role in the incident. It was also not known Friday if any charges would be filed.

Ragland described the victim, whom she knew only as Joe, as a good man who lived alone with his bulldog. Joe, who rode a motorcycle and had a restored cherry red Chevelle in his front yard, had lived in the neighborhood for roughly two years, neighbors said.

“Oh yeah, he was a good man,” Ragland said, as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Joe was just over here the other day.”