Charlottesville man dies after fight at party

MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
Published: October 13, 2008

A Charlottesville man reportedly turned himself into police Sunday evening in connection with the slaying of a local man was slain early Sunday after a confrontation at a party apparently escalated into violence.

Police say Darryl Andre Johnson, 20, is being charged He is charged with murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a murder, malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a malicious wounding.

Authorities were called to 1329 W. Main St. in Charlottesville around 2 a.m. There they found Phillip E. Adams Jr., 22, on a sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the chest. Adams was taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center, where he died a short time later. One other person was shot and two more were injured.

Investigators believe Adams had been involved in a confrontation with Johnson prior to the shooting.

It was unclear what the confrontation was about, how many shots were fired or how many times Adams was hit during the shooting, police said Sunday evening. It’s also unclear if Adams and Johnson had met prior to Sunday, police said.

Three other people were injured during the shooting, but only one was hit with gunfire, police said. Another was hit on the head — although police did not specify with what — while a third person suffered a scrape, police said. None of the injuries was life threatening, and authorities believe the three were unintended victims.

The names of the other victims have not been released.

The shooting marks the fifth homicide in Charlottesville this year. Police have made arrests in all of those cases.