On a Christmas Eve in Ashland, Virginia, the life of 59-year-old James Edward Clarke came to a tragic and violent end. On the evening of December 24, 2022, deputies from the Hanover County Sheriff's Office and officers with the Ashland Police Department responded to a report of a shooting in the 100 block of East Omni Court. Upon their arrival at approximately 7:37 p.m., they discovered a man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.
Despite the efforts of Hanover Fire-EMS, James Edward
Clarke was pronounced deceased at the scene. The grim discovery on a night typically filled with holiday cheer sent ripples of shock and sadness through the community. Clarke, an adult male resident of Ashland, was just days away from what would have been a continuation of holiday celebrations with family and friends.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement officials were able to quickly identify and apprehend a suspect. Eric Joe Key, a 59-year-old resident of Richmond, was taken into custody at the scene in connection with the fatal shooting. The Hanover County Sheriff's Office subsequently charged Key with First Degree Murder and the Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. The investigation into the circumstances that led to the deadly encounter is ongoing.
