Derrick Campbell was a 42-year-old Black man from Stafford, Virginia, described by loved ones as a great father and family man. On the afternoon of October 11, 2023, his life was cut short by gunfire in the Rappahannock Landing subdivision near Fredericksburg. Around 2:45 p.m., deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office responded to multiple calls about shots fired on the 200 block of Streamview Drive. They arrived to find Campbell suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. First responders attempted life-saving measures, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives worked through the night, collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. The investigation quickly revealed that the shooting was not a random act of violence, as Campbell and the suspect knew each other. Authorities identified the shooter as James Allen Wright Jr., a 42-year-old from neighboring Spotsylvania County.
An intensive search for Wright began immediately. As detectives executed search warrants and gathered evidence, their investigation expanded beyond Virginia. They followed leads that took them to both Maryland and Washington, D.C., in their efforts to locate the suspect.
Just two days after the shooting, on the morning of October 13, 2023, James Allen Wright Jr. was taken into custody by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and was held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. In June 2024, Wright went to trial and was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Derrick Campbell.
