CHARLOTTESVILLE (WINA) – Charlottesville Police have arrested a 22-year old Louisa County resident in a late Friday night/early Saturday morning shooting inside the Boylan Heights restrooms. City Police say Taylor Ryan Woodson is charged with one count of willful discharge of a firearm with bodily harm, and one count of reckless handling of a firearm.
Police say around 12:30 Saturday morning, a patron in one of the restrooms was shot with a bullet that had entered her bathroom from the adjacent restroom. Witnesses says she is a UVa student who was hit in an arm, while police say she sustained a serious but not life-threatening wound.
Woodson turned himself in to Charlottesville Police, with help from the Louisa County Sheriff, after a city officer was able to ID a suspect using video surveillance footage.
UVa has sent a notice of stepped-up patrols to parents who’ve been expressing concerns about “shots fired” incidents in the city… coming to a head with a student shot at Boylan Heights. University Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer Robyn Hadley writes UVa and city police “are working collaboratively” in extending patrols into off-Grounds neighborhoods where students live.
She continues that the University’s Ambassador program “continues to provide additional vigilance on and near the Corner.
She notes they are engaging resources — some visible and some not — to bolster safety both on- and off-Grounds.
The complete note follows:
“Dear Parents and Guardians:
We are writing to acknowledge your concerns, and to share our own concerns, about the incident in which a student was injured by random gunfire early this morning. We are grateful to report that the student is doing well and is expected to fully recover.
As Chief Tim Longo shared in an earlier communication, a suspect is now in custody. Diligent police work combined with collaboration among the business community, Charlottesville Police Department (CPD), and University Police; surveillance video; and other resources made this possible. We are grateful for all these efforts.
We fully recognize your concerns about this incident as well as earlier ones involving random gunfire in areas where students live, socialize, and work. University Police are working collaboratively with city of Charlottesville Police and have extended patrols into off-Grounds neighborhoods where students live to help support CPD in their safety efforts. The University’s Ambassador program continues to provide additional vigilance on and near the UVA Corner. We want to assure you that the University is actively dedicating and engaging resources—some visible and some not visible to the public—to bolster our safety infrastructure both on and off Grounds to keep our students, staff, and faculty safe.
If you are a new parent or the parent of a returning student, you may be wondering about the overall safety of Charlottesville now that we have returned to full in-person learning. As we have explained in the past, Charlottesville is no different from any other city in that acts of violence do occur. Thankfully, they are usually rare, but the increasing number of reports does mean we must work even more concertedly to ensure the safety of the community.
Please remind your students that they should never hesitate to call 911 if they are in a situation where they feel their own safety, or that of others, is at risk. If they witness behavior that concerns them, they should also call 911.
A number of safety resources are available to students and other members of the UVA community, as outlined in the recently updated Student Safety Guide.
As President Ryan reiterated in a University-wide message earlier today, safety remains the No. 1 priority for all of us here at the University. We will continue to rigorously address any potential threats to the overall safety of our community, and we will continue to make every possible resource available to your student.
Sincerely,
Robyn S. Hadley
Vice President and
Chief Student Affairs Officer
Julie I. Caruccio
Interim Dean of Students
