On the evening of October 11, 2008, Haywood D. McCallum Jr., a Black male and retired music teacher from Armstrong High School in Richmond, Virginia, was found with gunshot wounds next to his vehicle at the corner of North 25th and Cedar streets. The incident, which occurred around 10:20 p.m., was initially investigated as a robbery attempt. McCallum was transported to VCU Medical Center where he was listed in critical but stable condition.
The Richmond Police Department began an aggressive investigation into the shooting, which soon benefited from the cooperation of the community.
Less than two weeks later, on October 23, 2008, an arrest was made in the case. Nineteen-year-old Bobby Aaron Richardson was taken into custody by the Metro Richmond Fugitive Task Force. Richardson was charged with malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The swift arrest was publicly credited to the assistance and cooperation of the community, which allowed investigators to quickly identify and apprehend the person responsible for the shooting.
The legal proceedings that followed revealed a more complex motive than a simple robbery. During Bobby Aaron Richardson's trial in May of the following year, Haywood McCallum testified that he and Richardson had been involved in a brief, intimate relationship. McCallum stated that he ended the relationship upon discovering that Richardson was a minor. Following the end of their relationship, McCallum testified that Richardson began to blackmail him, threatening to expose their past involvement. Over a couple of years, McCallum paid Richardson between $3,000 and $5,000. The shooting occurred after McCallum had stopped making these payments. For his role in the shooting, Bobby Aaron Richardson was ultimately sentenced to 15 years in prison.
