Second victim in shooting dies

Danville Register & Bee
Published: February 6, 2008

Danville police are trying to piece together what may have led to the city’s first two murders of the year.

Just after 6 p.m. Monday, police officers and emergency crews responded to Jenny Lane for a possible car accident.

Officers found a vehicle that had run off the road, through a split-rail fence and down an embankment, according to a news release from the Danville Police Department.

The driver, Tony Rodger Howerton, 55, and the passenger, Charles Edward Harris, were located inside of the vehicle and were unresponsive, the release stated. Rescue workers soon determined that both Howerton and Harris were suffering from gunshot wounds.

Howerton, of Danville, was transported to the Danville Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Charles Edward Harris, 53, died at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., as a result of injuries sustained from a gunshot wound to the head, police said Tuesday.

Howerton’s body was taken to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke on Tuesday morning for an autopsy, police said.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Danville Crime Stoppers at (434) 793-0000, or the crime tips line at . Information given will remain confidential.

Residents who contact Crime Stoppers by phone may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.