Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Malicious Wounding of 2 Women in 2021
NORFOLK, Va. — Jerrod Nathaniel Wright, 26, was convicted on Monday of two counts of attempted malicious wounding after shooting at two women whom he contacted through social media for a sale.
On Jan. 25, 2021, Mr. Wright contacted the victims through Facebook in response to a sale listing they posted for a pair of shoes. The parties agreed to meet at a 7-Eleven on Granby Street. At the 7-Eleven, one of the victims got out of her vehicle and approached Mr. Wright’s vehicle to make the sale. Mr. Wright failed multiple times to complete the transaction through a payment app on his phone. The victim decided to abandon the sale, and she walked back to her vehicle. Mr. Wright followed the woman back to her car visibly upset, and the two women began to drive away out of fear. As the victims drove out of the parking lot, Mr. Wright pulled out a gun and fired one round that hit the driver’s door. No one was injured. Norfolk Police located Mr. Wright outside his residence later that evening and recovered the firearm from his vehicle after obtaining a search warrant.
On Monday, Mr. Wright pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted malicious wounding, and Judge David W. Lannetti accepted his plea with an agreed maximum sentence of two active years in custody. Mr. Wright is docketed for sentencing on Aug. 30.
“Short tempers and guns do not mix. We are fortunate that Mr. Wright missed the victims, but that does not change the fear that they felt,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Mr. Wright had no reason to shoot at these victims, and had he controlled his temper, he would not have been charged with felonies or face prison time. We will continue to hold accountable those people who shoot at our citizens.”
Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Emily A. Woodley is prosecuting Mr. Wright’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and former Norfolk Police Detective Alyce E. Clark led the investigation.
The Norfolk Police Department has marked E-Commerce Exchange Zones at each patrol division that are under 24-hour video surveillance and require no prior authorization or police response for community members to use when making legal transactions. For more information, visit https://www.norfolk.gov/3785/E-Commerce-Exchange-Zones.
###