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| Aunt remembers Bassett shooting victim |
Goard Drive is seen Tuesday at its intersection with Virginia 57. A shooting on the road Monday night left one man dead. Police are looking for a suspect. (Bulletin photo by Mike Wray) |
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Wednesday, October 7, 2009
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Police are searching for a man wanted on several charges in connection with the Monday shooting death of a Bassett man.
Brandon Ranzell Manns, 38, of 2557 Willie Craig Road, Bassett, is wanted on charges of second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony/murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and shooting into an occupied motor vehicle, according to a release from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.
The charges are in connection with the shooting death of Rasheem Penn, 30, of Janice Drive, Bassett.
Penn was found Monday night after being shot in the head while seated in his 1997 burgundy Ford Expedition, police have said.
Penn’s aunt, Margaret Penn, and the rest of his family are mourning the loss of “the boy with a million dollar smile. I always called him my little million dollar smile,” she said. “He was a loving young man.”
Rasheem Penn “was always upbeat. He never met a stranger. If he didn’t know you, he’d get to know you,” Margaret Penn said. “He loved everybody.”
Rasheem Penn, who had four children, “was very active in their life,” Margaret Penn said. “His children loved him.”
When Rasheem Penn’s mother died of breast cancer, Margaret Penn said her nephew was the strong one.
He tried to keep everyone else in the family “built up” although his heart was broken, she said. “He loved to make you laugh.”
Her telephone rang incessantly Tuesday morning, and visitors dropped by the home to offer comfort and support or share a memory.
“One lady who called said she met Rasheem when” her electricity was to be disconnected for nonpayment, Margaret Penn said.
Although Rasheem Penn did not know the woman, he paid her bill, Margaret Penn said.
Margaret Penn said she also had witnessed Rasheem Penn’s generosity often in the grocery store. If a person did not have enough money to pay for a purchase, Rasheem Penn would make up the difference, she said.
“He would say, ‘I got you covered,’” Margaret Penn said. “He would give you the shirt off his back.”
The shooting occurred in a mobile home park on Goard Drive in Bassett, after Penn drove himself and a friend there to see another friend, police said.
Another man walked up to Penn’s vehicle, had words with Penn and allegedly fired a handgun several times, police said.
Investigators are searching for vehicles that might have been in the area at the time of the shooting.
After the shooting, the perpetrator allegedly fled in a white Chevrolet Caprice. A black Mitsubishi Eclipse allegedly fled at the same time, according to a sheriff’s office release.
Anyone with information about Manns’ whereabouts is urged to call the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 638-8751 or Crime Stoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463).
Rewards of up to $1,000 are available through Crime Stoppers for information related to unsolved crimes. The amount of any reward is determined by the nature of the crime and the substance of information provided. |
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