Shore natives play part in protecting victims in deadly Harrisonburg shooting

Pictured: the Redpoint Apartments in Harrisonburg.

A deadly shooting at an apartment party near the James Madison University Campus in Harrisonburg sprung three Eastern Shore natives, who are currently students at the university named for America’s fourth President, to quick action to help protect others.

Alex Brown, a 2021 Broadwater Academy graduate from Eastville, Gage Godwin, a 2019 Chincoteague High School alum and Christian Godwin, Gage’s cousin who graduated from Arcadia in 2021, had just gotten home to their Redpoint apartment around midnight on Friday, April 14, when they heard a commotion. Christian went to the back door and found approximately 15 people hiding in their yard. He asked what they were doing and they responded they had been at a party where a shooting had taken place.

The three Eastern Shoremen took quick action, and allowed several of them to come into their apartment for safety in the meantime. The three patted down all those coming in to check them for weapons.

While they all camped out in the apartment, police and ambulances began to show up to care for the wounded and investigate what had transpired.

JMU’s student run news site The Breeze reports “Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) responded to reports of shots fired around midnight Saturday morning on Newberry Lane at a party inside a Redpoint residence, according to a press release. Rescue units also responded to the scene, and two male victims — neither of whom were JMU students — died on site. One was a 22 year old man from Rocky Mount, NC., the other a 17 year old from Harrisonburg.”

The RCSO said in the same release “There is no suspect in custody, and there is no known reason to believe there is an ongoing threat to the community. At this time, the incident appears to be an isolated one that stemmed from an incident at the party.”

.