A 16-year-old Fairfield resident was accidentally shot Saturday when a bullet entered his house through a window, and a Fairfield man has been charged with reckless handling of a firearm.
According to Sheriff Tony McFaddin, at approximately 11:03 a.m., the Rockbridge Regional Public Safety Communications Center received a call for service in the 1900 block of Sterrett Road regarding a 16-year-old male who had been shot through a window at his residence.
The juvenile’s family immediately transported the teen, who had been shot in the back, by private vehicle to Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital, where he was in stable condition as of Monday.
Sheriff’s deputies responded, along with the Virginia State Police and the Virginia Conservation Police, to the scene, conducted an investigation, and identified the shooter, who had been hunting in the vicinity at the time of the incident.
Malcom Matthew Vest, a 26-year-old resident of the Fairfield area, has been charged with reckless handling of a firearm, a class 6 felony under Virginia law. He is currently being held in Rockbridge Regional Jail without bond.
The Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
