Shooting Death of 5-Year-Old Boy Called Unintentional


Jun 16, 2003



Travis Lamont Skinner, 24, a convicted felon on probation for drug dealing, allegedly shot a 5-year-old Richmond boy to death shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday. According to victims'-rights advocate Alicia Rasin, the child's mother said the suspect did not mean to shoot the boy.

Richmond police said the shooting took place in the woman's Jennie Scher Road apartment in Richmond's East End. The boy, Marquis Winston, was the woman's only child, Rasin said.

Richmond police issued warrants Sunday charging the Skinner with voluntary manslaughter, using a firearm in a felony and possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a felony.

Skinner was "handling" a .380-caliber pistol when the weapon fired, striking the boy, police said last night. Richmond police provided no other details about the shooting.

According to Richmond Circuit Court records, Skinner pleaded guilty in December to one count of distribution of cocaine near a school and one count of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. He was sentenced to a 5-year-suspended sentence on the first charge and a 10-year-suspended sentence on the second charge and was placed on probation.

Last June, Skinner was taken into custody on a parole-violation charge and subsequently returned to probation, according to court records.

Quoted:
This is local to me, and is pretty much smack dab in the middle of the hood, hence my prior comment.