4th man charged in H’burg shooting

By Tony Gonzalez

Published: November 14, 2008

HARRISONBURG — Harrisonburg police arrested a Charlottesville teen Friday in the shooting of a former R.E. Lee High School football star.

Zackery Turner, 18, is charged with firing a gunshot that hit Reginald “Shay” Nicholson, 19, in the back of the head and left a bullet lodged in his skull. Nicholson is in critical condition at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville.

Police said an argument escalated leading to the shooting Nov. 9 during an “open-door party” at an off-campus housing complex near James Madison University in Harrisonburg. The incident was gang-related, police said.

Authorities arrested three men Thursday and have a warrant for another fugitive.

Standing at a news conference Friday behind a table displaying three rifles, eight handguns and bags of bandanas seized during arrests, Harrisonburg police Lt. Kurt Boshart described a “relentless” investigation.

“These individuals do have the propensity for violence,” said Boshart, motioning to seized photos showing groups of men toting guns and making hand gestures resembling the letter “C.”

Jahmaine Faqiri, 18; Gregory Baker, 20; and Demonds Parrish, 19, all of Ruckersville, all were charged with assault and battery by a mob and gang participation. Faqiri also was charged with brandishing a firearm.

Turner faces three firearm charges and one charge of aggravated malicious wounding. He has not been charged with gang participation.

Authorities declined to say whether gang members were targeted in the attack.

Asked which gangs were involved, Boshart declined to name them: “I’m not going to give them credit,” he said.

Authorities seized black, blue, red, orange, white and camouflage bandanas. Some included skulls. Police also displayed ammunition and brass knuckles.

Rockingham County Commonwealth’s Attorney Marsha Garst said she hopes the violence is an anomaly.

She applauded the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force and almost a dozen law enforcement agencies that participated in the investigation. Authorities have been criticized before for raising the specter of gangs, she said.

“It is a sad day when those predictions have come to fruition,” she said, vowing to make prosecution in this case a top priority. “This is a wake-up call for this community.”

Garst emphasized the danger in hosting “open” parties where anyone is welcome and Boshart called such parties the “number one” reason the suspects were in Harrisonburg.

The shooting happened around 3 a.m. on the 1300 block of Bradley Drive.

All four men are being held without bond. A search of court records from nine counties surrounding Ruckersville shows that Baker spent four days in jail on a petty larceny conviction in February in Albemarle County and he awaits a hearing on embezzlement charges. The men are scheduled for a preliminary hearing Dec. 16 in Rockingham County.

Authorities are also exploring connections between the shooting and an armed robbery Nov. 6.

Nicholson’s friends have scheduled a vigil and donation drive at 7 p.m. today in the parking lot of Memorial Stadium in Staunton to help pay for his hospital bills.