On Oct. 5, 757swim athlete Luke Haskin and his mother, Molly Haskin, were victims of a road rage shooting in James City County, Virginia. Both have undergone surgery, with Molly Haskin expected to have additional surgeries as she was airlifted to a Richmond hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Police have charged a man for the shooting. According to court documents filed in the Williamsburg-James City County General District Court, he pulled up to the Haskins’ car and “fired at least five rounds at the victim’s vehicle on the passenger side.”
Molly Haskin was shot in the face and her son Luke, 17, sustained injuries to his arms. There was another passenger in the car, a minor, who was not injured. Court documents said that an occupant inside the Haskin’s vehicle “was able to record the suspect shooting at the victim’s vehicle.”
The Virginian Pilot reported that when police arrested the man now charged for the shooting “he reeked of alcohol” and registered .14 blood alcohol content on his breath test, which is almost double the legal limit of .08.
The man, identified as Joseph Paul Adams, 44, was arrested shortly after the shooting. He was charged with 24 total offenses, including two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, a DUI, five counts each of shooting at a vehicle, shooting from a vehicle, and reckless handling of a firearm. He was also charged with three counts each of brandishing a firearm and using a firearm in a felony.
Luke swims for both 757swim, based in Williamsburg, and the Jamestown High School swim team. The two teams partnered in creating a “meal train” and fundraiser to help the Haskin family. “This family will have a long road to recovery and 757swim, in conjunction with the Jamestown High School Swim Team, wants to do as much as possible to show support from our swim family,” 757swim wrote in the description of the fundraiser.
As of the evening of Oct. 7, the “meal train” had raised $17,760 of its $25,000 goal.
Road Rage Shooting.
Insanity.
I’m travelling to the U.S. for 5 weeks on Saturday… I feel like I’m planning to travel to a war zone.
What’s the difference between getting shot by a terrorist in the Sudan vs. getting shot by just anyone at a stop sign in Virginia?
You’re dead either way.
All the best to the family and a speedy recovery. I really hope they can move on from this.
“Malicious wounding”? You mean literal attempted murder of several innocent people?
Wonderful to see fundraising now at $24,690!!! No doubt Swimswam has helped bring some positive awareness to this horrific event
Angry drunk driving around with a loaded gun. Unfortunately, not that uncommon here in the US.
So sad seeing anything like this!
I wish Luke and Molly a speedy recovery!
America. Land of the free …… to be shot at anywhere and everywhere.