HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A bar patron who was inside Mell J's Bar and Grill when a deadly shooting broke out in the parking lot Friday night said the scene that followed was chaotic — and that one person's poor decision should not define the establishment where she had come to have fun.
"Just chaotic, very chaotic," the woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said. "I cried and prayed."
The woman said the bar had no issues since it opened last year.
"At the end of the day, that doesn't define what the bar is like in general. We have fun, but one person's poor decision shouldn't affect other people," she said.
Henrico Police responded to the business in the 7500 block of Brook Road just after 11 p.m. Officers said 44-year-old Lavon Donelle Woodson died from his injuries at the scene.
For several hours, special agents with Virginia ABC were seen patrolling the property on Saturday and speaking with the business owner inside.
The owner, who declined to speak on camera, posted a statement on social media that read in part: "We send our most sincere condolences to the family and our deepest condolences to our loyal customers and new faces who had to witness the tragedy."
The anonymous patron said she hopes justice is served for Woodson's family.
"I'm very sorry this happened to you. I hate for any family to go through this. I wish you all the best in life and I hope you can figure out who did this," she said.
The shooting at Mell J's was the second of two homicides in Henrico on Friday. Hours earlier, police responded to the 9900 block of Independence Park Drive around 5:42 p.m. after receiving an emergency call. Officers found 30-year-old Natalie Grace Grant, who was pronounced dead at the scene with obvious signs of trauma.
Police arrested 36-year-old John Adam Long and charged him with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Long is being held at the Henrico County Sheriff's Office without bond.
In a separate incident, sources told CBS 6 that a man was shot in the neck at the Lakefield Mews Apartments around 9 p.m. Thursday night and is critically injured.
Anyone with information on either homicide is asked to call Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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