A 56-year-old Stafford man is behind bars at Rappahannock Regional Jail after shooting his neighbor early this morning in a North Stafford neighborhood.

On April 30th at approximately 12:04 a.m. deputies responded to a North Stafford residence for an unknown problem. The adult female caller advised she was bleeding a lot and was not sure what happened. Due to the nature of the call, deputies quickly arrived and discovered the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to her torso. Deputies began administering first aid as Fire and Rescue arrived on scene. Upon further inspection of the scene, deputies noticed a bullet sized hole in the wall that directly lined up where the victim was standing in her kitchen. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital as deputies began investigating the shooting incident.

Deputies made contact with a neighbor to inquire if he heard gunshots and he advised he had fired the shot. It was discovered the neighbor pulled the trigger of a handgun without checking to see if there was a round in the chamber. The bullet traveled through his garage and approximately 200 feet through the yards and copse of trees between the residences. The bullet continued on a course through the siding, drywall and backsplash in the victim’s kitchen before striking a can the victim was holding and entering her torso.

The suspect, Derek Avery-Craft, was charged with felony reckless handling of a firearm. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail on a $10,000 secured bond.

We are praying for a speedy and complete recovery for the victim.