By Heather Michon
Correspondent
New details surrounding the fatal shooting of a Kents Store man emerged during a bond hearing in General District Court in Palmyra on Tuesday (June 10).
Zhamere Llada Ross, 25, was arrested on a charge of second-degree homicide after the May 18 death of Marcus Allen Vargas.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Jeffrey Haislip told Judge Theresa Carter that the incident began when Ross and his fiancée, along with her 10-month old and three-year old children and a 14 year old, arrived at Vargas’s residence on Kents Store Way.
Ross’s fiancée had previously been involved with Vargas, and the two began to argue.
Haislip said that at some point in the fight, Vargas pulled out a handgun and shot at an object in the yard before returning to his RV.
As Ross was pulling out of the driveway, Vargas, now unarmed, reemerged from the RV and approached the vehicle, pushing his head and shoulders into the window to resume his argument with the fiancée.
At this point, said Haislip, Ross pulled out his handgun, chambered a round, and shot Vargas in the shoulder.
Vargas “expired there in the middle of the road,” said Haislip.
Ross’s attorney, James Herring, told Judge Carter that he had a different version of events: his client had acted in self-defense after Vargas pushed himself into the vehicle.
“He has a right to use a firearm under threat,” said Herring.
He argued that Ross had no real criminal record and did not pose a threat to the public. He said his client would accept electronic monitoring or any other restriction imposed by the court.
Vicki Scruggs, the grandmother of Ross’s fiancée, told the judge that Ross was a good father figure to her great-grandchildren and could live with the family in her Nelson County home.
Under questioning by Haislip, Scruggs said she was aware the children were in the car at the time of the shooting. She said the three-year-old “talks a lot about ‘loud.’”
Judge Carter said the fact that the children were in the car when he fired a weapon gave her concern about his emotional stability under stress. She denied the motion to grant bond.
When she announced her decision, several of Ross’s supporters left the room in obvious distress.
Ross will remain at Central Virginia Regional Jail. A date for a preliminary hearing is not yet set.
