Teenage shooter gives his account: Interstate shootings detailed in testimony

By Tasha Kates

Published: July 9, 2008

The full import of what happened that March night started to hit Brandon Dawson when he went home to Crozet and saw the shootings on the news. A chorus of “what ifs” started to run through the 16-year-old’s head - What if he had killed someone? What if one of the victims had been a family member?
“I was restless,” Dawson said. “I couldn’t lay down. I couldn’t eat. I was upset. I wanted to calm myself down, but I didn’t know how.”
Prior to being sentenced Tuesday on firearm charges, Dawson filled in the details of what took place March 26, the night of the Interstate 64 shootings. The teenager gave his account in Albemarle Circuit Court before he was sentenced to a 180-day intensive juvenile program.
Dawson said he and Slade A. Woodson had been working on one of the 19-year-old’s cars when they got frustrated and went for a drive. Blowing off steam turned into drinking, Dawson testified, and he downed eight to 10 cans of beer from a case in Woodson’s car in about three-and-a-half hours. It was the first time Dawson had tried alcohol.
Dawson testified that Woodson fired off the first shots during their night out.
“Truthfully, we didn’t think anything got hit,” Dawson testified Tuesday.
“I know we done it, but we were driving around. ... After we done it, we drank more alcohol.”
The next morning, authorities shut down 20 miles of I-64 for seven hours after reports of shots fired from the Route 690 overpass, at the Ivy exit and at the Yancey Mills VDOT facility. The shots fired that night did not just whiz by traffic — two drivers suffered minor injuries, and several homes in Albemarle were shot. Waynesboro police also reported shots fired at a bank, van and home that same morning.
For Dawson, fright set in after he saw the news coverage. Dana Strickler, who works with the homebound program through Albemarle County public schools, testified Tuesday that her student seemed ill and was constantly chewing on antacids during their March 27 lesson.
The next day, the boy had to answer for what happened. In the wee hours of March 28, Albemarle police came to Yonder Hill Farm in search of Dawson and Woodson. The teens were initially charged with 10 felonies, but five more charges were levied days later.
Woodson’s trial is scheduled for Sept. 16 in Albemarle Circuit Court.
Dawson testified Tuesday that he fired a shot at an 18-wheeler and at a house. However, he said he thought he shot a home at an angle so that the bullet wouldn’t hit the house.
The charges stunned the Dawsons. His family and former employer described him as a polite kid who disliked schoolwork but was enthusiastic about farming. Although he had had some behavioral problems at school, Dawson had never been charged with a crime before.
Edgar Dawson, Brandon’s father, said he was “shocked and floored” that his son would be involved in such a serious incident.
“I think what happened that night was alcohol led him to poor decisions,” Edgar Dawson said.
The father and his son were often seen working side-by-side on the farm, doing chores and fixing equipment. Prior to the night he was allowed to stay over at Woodson’s house, Dawson hadn’t ever spent the night at someone’s house unless they were in the family or a family friend.
“I guess that’s all it takes,” Edgar Dawson said. “One night, one time.”
Tasha Kates is a staff writer at the Daily Progress in Charlottesville.