Protection Order firearm violation among charges stemming from weekend Linden shooting incident

In response to queries about a reported shooting in Linden over the weekend, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office issued the following press release at 8:52 p.m., Monday evening, July 12. Facing charges related to the Saturday afternoon shooting incident in which no one was injured is 58-year-old Shawn Michael West, a Linden resident. Below is the press release in its entirety:

Shawn Michael West upon booking into RSW Regional Jail – Photo RSW Jail website

A report of shots fired along the 100 block of Red Robin Lane in Linden, Virginia was received by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, July 10, at approximately 01:36 PM.  The suspect vehicle was reported to have left the scene in an unknown direction of travel around 1:45 PM.  Three spent .45 caliber casings were recovered at the scene and a local dispatch to attempt to locate the suspect vehicle was issued at approximately 1:59 PM.  Investigating Deputies identified the suspect vehicle as being a white Chevy 2500 pickup truck.

On 7/10/2021 at 2:29 PM, members of the Front Royal Police Department located the suspect vehicle in the area of Winchester Road (Route 340/522 North) and Interstate-66 in Front Royal, and effected a high-risk traffic stop without further incident.  The driver, Shawn Michael West was questioned briefly at the scene and custody transferred to the WCSO.  The white pickup truck was towed, and three handguns and ammunition were later recovered from within the vehicle as a result of a search warrant.

Arrest warrants and complaints were obtained by the WCSO, and Shawn Michael West, age 58 of Linden, Virginia was subsequently charged with two misdemeanors and one felony related to this incident.  West was charged with a single count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (§18.2-308.2), reckless handing of a firearm (§18.2-56.1) and transporting a firearm in violation of a Protection Order (§18.2-308.1:4).  West has an initial court date set of 8/18/2021.  No persons were injured during the incident.

(Approved for release on 07/12/2021 by Major J.A. Driskill, Sr.)