Brandon Shulleeta

But it was his reaction to an unforeseen scenario this winter — a woman trapped inside a car sinking into a partially frozen pond — that has led many to call him a hero.
“If it wasn’t for the doctor, I guess I wouldn’t be here,” said Joyce Byrd, the 66-year-old woman Bartholomew pulled from the icy waters.
Bartholomew, 44, of Chesterfield County waded through the retention pond, broke a window and pulled Byrd out of the car just as it completely submerged, leaving him and Byrd with hypothermi...

Manyang Reath Kher was 3 years old when he was awakened in a small Sudanese town by gunshots and screaming from his mother: "'Manyang! Manyang! Go with your uncle!'"

Kher's father was fatally shot during the outbreak of Sudan's brutally violent civil war, in which there were mass casualties and young boys trained to flee ran toward safety. Kher's uncle hoisted the young Kher on his shoulders as the two fled, Kher recalls.

His uncle was shot at some point while fleeing but survived long enough...

Keshawn D. Hargrove was first to pull the trigger Wednesday evening in what started as an attempt to outrun Richmond police officers in an alley near the Fan District and ended with one officer shot in the arm and Hargrove dead from a single gunshot wound, Police Chief Alfred Durham told reporters Thursday, based on a preliminary investigation.
“They did what they had to do,” Durham said of the two Richmond officers who shot at Hargrove. “Mr. Hargrove was a convicted felon with a firearm. He ...

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Reuters) - A gathering of hundreds of white nationalists in Virginia took a deadly turn on Saturday when a car ploughed into a group of counter-protesters and killed at least one person in a flare up of violence that challenged U.S. President Donald Trump.
The state’s governor blamed neo-Nazis for sparking the unrest in the college town of Charlottesville, where rival groups fought pitched battles using rocks and pepper spray after far-right protesters converged to demon...

There are now at least 102 Virginia residents, plus 25 people in other states, who have contracted hepatitis A after reportedly drinking smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Café, according to state and federal health officials.
The number of confirmed cases of hepatitis A tied to Egyptian-based frozen strawberries served by Tropical Smoothie Café has continued to climb since the Virginia Department of Health notified the public on Aug. 19 of the outbreak.
Symptoms can take as many as 50 days to ...

RICHMOND, Va. (Reuters) - The mayor of Charlottesville called on Friday for a special session of Virginia’s legislature to let localities decide the fate of Confederate monuments like the statue at the center of a far-right rally last week that turned deadly.
Mayor Mike Signer issued his appeal amid an increasingly contentious debate over what to do with memorials to Confederate figures, who fought for the preservation of slavery during the U.S. Civil War, that are seen by opponents as offens...

Testing their pedal mettle on the Virginia Capital ...

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (Reuters) - A jury on Wednesday found former University of Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely V guilty of second-degree murder in the 2010 death of his ex-girlfriend, and recommended he serve 25 years in prison.
The jury deliberated for about nine hours before finding Huguely, 24, guilty of killing his 22-year-old on-again, off-again girlfriend Yeardley Love.
The case drew national media attention to the quiet college town of Charlottesville, Virginia, where Hug...

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (Reuters) - A former University of Virginia lacrosse player was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Thursday for the 2010 murder of his ex-girlfriend, who was beaten to death shortly before she was due to graduate.
A jury found George Huguely, 24, guilty in February of second-degree murder and grand larceny in the death of 22-year-old Yeardley Love, who prosecutors said died of blunt force trauma after Huguely slammed her head against a wall in a drunken rage.
Charlot...

After twisting and turning through a wooded area of rural Stanardsville, population 384, my cousins and I finally arrive at our destination when we spot a flashing open sign attached to a gazebo that leads to a tall treehouse.
Using cell phones as flashlights, we walk toward signs welcoming us to the Castle, while more wooden signs direct us to a sauna and the cryptically named Zen Barn. A statue of Buddha sits alone in the long grass, while a nearly 40-foot-tall red tower looms above us look...

A woman admitted she falsely accused VCU forward Mo Alie-Cox of punching her in the face in an apology letter referenced in court on Tuesday before a judge dismissed the assault charge against him.
Alie-Cox had been charged with misdemeanor assault based on Morgan Ashley Kaye’s criminal complaint, but surveillance footage and Kaye’s admission counter her initial claim that Alie-Cox punched her.
“Please accept my deepest apologies for my false accusations and the subsequent defamation of your ...

On this episode of This Week in Richmond host David Bailey is joined by Professor Brandon Shulleeta, Capital News Service and Professor Jeff South, Capital News Service. Followed by Kathleen Shaw, Capital News Service and Kaytlin Nickens, Capital News Service.