http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/news/lo ... way/25799/
This is near Wintergreen by the way.Updated 7:34 a.m. Tuesday:
Karen Beck-Herzog, Public Information Officer for the National Park Service, confirmed this morning that the FBI has joined local and state authorities in the search for a suspect in relation to yesterday’s parkway shootings.
“I know that there was a double shooting—one male and one female,“ she confirmed, but added, “I am not sure of the exact time line of the events that occurred.“
The incident occurred around mile post 10 at the Rock Point Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The road between mile markers 0 - 13 remains closed.
There was no information available on a possible third victim or the suspect.
Earlier:
AFTON — A man unleashed shotgun blasts that wounded three people Monday night at an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, about 10 miles south of Afton Mountain, authorities said.
At about 8 p.m., officers rushed to Rockpoint Overlook at mile marker 10 on the scenic byway. Two shooting victims were taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center and a third was being sought by rescuers, authorities said.
Virginia State Police blocked off the Parkway and searched for a suspect authorities described as a white man with long gray hair, possibly driving a red Ford Taurus. The suspect remained at large at 11 p.m.
More than two dozen officers from multiple agencies swarmed the area around the overlook, where rescuers shined flashlights and headlights to search and call out for a victim believed to be near the steep cliff.
Authorities near the overlook sent a reporter away from the area.
Some vehicles were stopped for inspection and authorities said there may have been two witnesses that came forward. Deputies also called to backpackers to check identification. A state police investigator thoroughly examined a silver pickup truck belonging to a pair of witnesses.
State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller could not say which agency would lead the investigation.
State troopers and investigators assisted, she said.
Authorities said at least two dozen officers searched for the suspect, including officers with the state police, sheriff’s office, Wintergreen police, Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, park service and area rescue squads.
Park service police encountered radio communication problems, forcing officers to communicate on local channels and by cell phones, authorities said.
A recently passed federal law allows Parkway visitors with proper permits to carry open or concealed loaded guns
More than three years ago, Elizabeth Hafter, 22, was murdered on the Parkway near Waynesboro. Authorities said they believed Tom Ashby, 37, of Savannah, Ga., killed her and four others during a week long killing spree in October 2006 before taking his own life while running from police in Florida.
More than 18 million people travel the Parkway each year, according to national park records.