Chesterfield pub shooting suspect faces new charges after dismissal

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Kalvon Turner, the man accused of opening fire inside a Chesterfield pub in January 2025 and injuring five people, had all eight charges against him dismissed on Sept. 1, 2026, after a judge ruled his right to a speedy trial was violated. Weeks later, on Sept. 21, prosecutors filed new charges against him.

Turner now faces charges of attempt to commit non-capital first degree murder, maliciously discharge a firearm, and firearm use in commission of a felony.

The original dismissal was not a ruling on guilt or innocence. It came down to whether the Commonwealth took too long to bring Turner to trial.

Watch: Chesterfield pub shooting charges dismissed over speedy trial

Turner was arrested on Feb. 13, 2025 — just weeks after the Jan. 26 shooting at Shamrock Pub. He was never granted bond and spent more than 18 months in jail without going to trial.

Court documents show two jury trials were scheduled during the time Turner remained behind bars. The first was set for Feb. 18 and 19, 2026, but never got underway. On the day the trial was set to begin, the Commonwealth asked for a continuance, telling the judge a witness had undergone emergency surgery, had an open wound, and was taking narcotic pain medication.

The judge moved the trial to Sept. 2 and 3.

But on Sept. 1 — one day before that trial was set to begin — the defense asked the judge to dismiss all charges.

The argument centered on that surgery. After receiving 758 pages of medical records, Turner's attorney Gregory Sheldon argued the witness's procedure was not an emergency. Sheldon pointed to the records, saying the procedure took less than an hour, the witness was discharged in under a day, had no activity restrictions, and was prescribed oxycodone only as a backup to Tylenol and ibuprofen.

Sheldon argued the delay meant Turner's right to a speedy trial had been violated.

The Commonwealth disagreed. Prosecutors said the procedure was not elective — it was to remove a bullet fragment from the January 2025 shooting, a fragment that had burst through the witness's skin more than a year after the shooting.

The judge ultimately sided with the defense. All eight charges were dismissed on Sept. 1, including four counts of aggravated malicious wounding.

Sheldon said the case was dismissed "with prejudice," which prevents the same charges from being refiled.

Sheldon also said it is "fairly uncommon for a case to be dismissed based on a statutory speedy trial argument," calling this a "fairly unusual set of circumstances."

However, now, the Commonwealth has filed three new charges. Those being attempt to commit non-capital first degree murder, maliciously discharge a firearm, and firearm use in commission of a felony.

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