In the early morning hours of August 27, 2023, a violent encounter in Mount Jackson, Virginia, ended the life of 51-year-old Jane L. Moomaw. The incident unfolded around 2:45 a.m. outside a residence in the 200 block of Orkney Drive. Moomaw, a female resident of Mount Jackson, was with a group of acquaintances when they were approached by 63-year-old Frederic S. Conrad, also from Mount Jackson.
An argument broke out between Conrad and the group.
The dispute quickly escalated, culminating in Conrad opening fire on Moomaw and two other individuals. After shooting the three victims, Conrad then turned the gun on himself, taking his own life at the scene. When Mount Jackson Police officers arrived at approximately 2:47 a.m., they discovered four individuals with gunshot wounds.
Jane L. Moomaw and Frederic S. Conrad were both pronounced dead at the location of the shooting. The other two victims, a 67-year-old woman from Mount Jackson and a 48-year-old man from Basye, sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to local hospitals for treatment. Investigators recovered a handgun and casings from the scene. The preliminary investigation conducted by the Mount Jackson Police Department, with assistance from nine other agencies, indicated that the tragic event was a murder-suicide, with Conrad identified as the shooter. All individuals involved were known to each other.
