Verona man pleads guilty for role in double shooting

By Cleve Wiese

Published: June 5, 2008

A Verona man charged with two counts of malicious wounding for his role in a Halloween double shooting in Staunton pleaded guilty Thursday in a deal with prosecutors for reduced prison time.
On the evening of Oct. 31, 2007, Kevin Jerome Harrison, 49, accompanied his brother, Otis Darryl Harrison, and Tiffany Raychelle Cheeks to a house on the 1200 block of Walnut Street in Staunton intending to confront a 17-year-old woman Cheeks believed was having an affair with her boyfriend, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Louis Campola testified during the Staunton Circuit Court hearing.
They drove away after a 24-year-old man living at the residence refused to let them speak with the teenager, but soon returned, Campola said. This time, Otis Harrison was wearing black gloves and brandishing a pistol.
The three got out of the vehicle and again demanded to see the teenager, Roberts said. When the 24-year-old again refused, Kevin Harrison shouted, “Blast them, blast them,” Campola said. Otis Harrison opened fire, striking the 24-year-old in the leg and the teenager’s 10-year-old brother in the arm. 
The two victims were treated at Augusta Medical Center for single bullet wounds and released the following morning.
Judge Humes J. Franklin Jr. accepted Kevin Harrison’s guilty plea and sentenced him to a five-year prison term with all but two years suspended. 
Cheeks pleaded guilty May 6 to two malicious wounding charges for encouraging the incident by chanting, “Five popping, six dropping, we’re the Bloods,” moments before Otis Harrison started shooting, Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Robertson said. The gang-related rhyme refers to the five and six-pointed stars the Bloods and Crips street gangs use for their respective symbols, he said.
“It means the Bloods are doing the shooting and the Crips are doing the dropping,” Robertson said.
Otis Harrison’s jury trial is scheduled for July 22.