On the evening of May 4, 2017, in Mathews, Virginia, emergency dispatchers received two 911 calls reporting an altercation and the sound of gunfire on Ridgefield Road. When sheriff's deputies and medical personnel arrived at the scene, they found 61-year-old Steven Allen Eary suffering from a single gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A second individual was also found to have been shot, but their injury was a non-life-threatening graze to the shoulder for which they were treated and released.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led authorities to a person of interest. Initially, a 21-year-old male suspect was taken into custody for questioning, though no charges were immediately filed as the investigation continued. The Mathews County Sheriff's Office continued to investigate the fatal shooting.
Following the ongoing investigation, an arrest was made later that month. Chad C. Whitmore, a 21-year-old from Newport News, was taken into custody on May 23, 2017, at the Mathews County Sheriff's Office. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of Steven Allen Eary. In addition to the murder charge, Whitmore also faced charges of malicious wounding and two counts of use of a firearm. After his arrest, he was transported to the Middle Peninsula Regional Security Center where he was held without bond.
