On September 4, 2024, at approximately 9:04 pm, the Martinsville-Henry County 911 Communication Center received a call from SOVAH Health Hospital of Martinsville, VA in reference to an individual that had arrived at the emergency room with a gunshot wound. Deputies responded to SOVAH Health and spoke with the victim.
The victim was identified as Julius Alfonzo Page III, 44, of Martinsville, Virginia. Mr. Page suffered a gunshot wound to his right thigh. Mr. Page was treated at SOVAH Health for non-life threatening injuries and subsequently released from the hospital.
Through the course of the investigation, it was determined that the victim Julius Page III was walking on Lakewood Trail, in the Laurel Park area of Henry County when he came in contact with a black male with dreads. Mr. Page advised the black male started yelling at him and then produced a firearm and shot him in the leg.
During the investigation Deputies and Investigators were able to identify the male suspect as Raymond Dwayne Taylor Jr, 37 years of age, of 614 Stoney Mountain Road, Axton, VA 24054. Mr. Taylor is currently on probation for burglary in Henry County.
Raymond Dwayne Taylor Jr. has been charged with Malicious Wounding, Use of Firearm of Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon.
Anyone having information regarding this Malicious Wounding or the whereabouts of Raymond Dewayne Taylor Jr. is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2500.00 for information related to crime. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.
UPDATE:
On September 5, 2024, at approximately 10:45 pm, patrol deputies from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office went to 3681 Irisburg Road, Axton, VA, in an attempt to arrest Raymond Dwayne Taylor Jr. Taylor had outstanding warrants from Henry County for: Malicious Wounding, Use a firearm in the commission of a felony, and Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. While deputies attempted to contact Taylor at the residence, they received information that he had retreated to the basement of the home when they arrived. Deputies continued to try to contact Taylor, but he did not acknowledge them after multiple attempts.
Through the course of the investigation, it was determined that Taylor had barricaded himself inside the residence, armed with a firearm, with another male subject. The Henry County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T team as well as the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Crisis and Hostage Negotiations Team was activated and responded to the location.
At approximately 12:35 am, Negotiators made continuous attempts to contact Taylor who was still located inside of the residence. At approximately 01:33 am, Negotiators were finally able to contact Taylor by phone. After speaking with Taylor, Negotiators successfully talked him into surrendering to deputies. At approximately 1:37 am, Raymond Dwayne Taylor Jr. was taken into custody by the Henry County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T team without further incident in the front yard of this residence.
Raymond Dwayne Taylor Jr. 37 years of age, of 614 Stoney Mountain Road, Martinsville VA, was taken into custody on the following charges:
Virginia State Code: 18.2-51 – Malicious Wounding
Virginia State Code: 18.2-53.1 – Use of Firearm Use in the Commission of a Felony
Virginia State Code: 18.2-308.2 – Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
Raymond Dwayne Taylor Jr. is being held In the Henry County Adult Detention Center under No Bond. The Henry County Sheriff’s Office would also like to thank the Virginia State Police for their assistance in this incident.
(WASHINGTON) — Voters across the country tuned in to the ABC News presidential debate on Tuesday night to see Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump discuss issues and share their visions for the country.
Many were looking to see how Harris defined herself on the debate stage, especially given that she entered the race relatively late as a presidential candidate.
Some undecided or formerly undecided voters spoke with ABC News both before and after the debate.
Before the debate, they shared what they were hoping to see — and after, if they thought Harris made the case for herself as a presidential candidate as well as their thoughts a potential second debate between Trump and Harris. These voters also previously spoke with ABC News earlier in the election cycle, including before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
Patrick O’Rourke, a retired scientist and independent voter from Georgia, said ahead of the debate that he did not trust Harris to be a “unifier” for the country.
“If I can force myself to vote for VP Harris, it will be with the hope of [split-party control between the presidency and Congress] … I hope for a president who can respect the constitution and earn the respect of our country,” he told ABC News by text.
At 10:09 p.m. ET, as the debate was still on air, he texted ABC News that he had turned off the debate.
“Former President Trump has forced me into voting for VP Harris,” he said. The reasons: because of how Trump discussed Ashli Babbit — a Trump supporter who was fatally shot during the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol — whom the former president said “was shot by an out-of-control police officer;” and after Trump promoted being endorsed by Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, who is considered an authoritarian leader.
That doesn’t mean he thinks Harris made a strong positive case or defined herself enough, though.
Asked how he felt about her performance, O’Rourke said, “Still don’t know who she is other than not Donald Trump. Right now, that’s enough.”
Many voters feel they could benefit from more information about Harris and her platforms. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that 28% of likely voters said they feel they need to still learn more about Harris, while only 9% of likely voters felt that way about Trump.
O’Rourke said on Wednesday morning that he’s also not interested in another debate.
“One is enough for this cycle. I do not need to see another debate … I don’t need the candidates telling me what the other one’s policies are,” O’Rourke said.
But he said he’d like to see interviews with the candidates where they talk about economic policy, foreign affairs and civil justice priorities.
Rebecca Bakker, a registered nursing professor who lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan, told ABC News by text ahead of the debate that she was still undecided — although she had said beforehand she was not supporting Trump.
She was hoping to hear Harris “drill down on a clear economic message,” as well as clarity from her on how she would solve foreign policy and border issues.
Bakker told ABC News after the debate that the showing solidified her decision to not vote for Trump, who did not come across to her as “presidential” or as outlining clear policies.
“I think Harris did a great job to bait him so he [would] unravel during the debate and this worked to her advantage,” she said by text, but she felt Harris was still a bit “murky” on how her positions on some issues have changed.
“I remain undecided- she didn’t sway me enough (yet) to vote for her but for sure [Trump] swayed me enough NOT to vote for him,” Bakker wrote.
Bakker said she would like another debate to see if either candidate “reframes their narrative to address specifics on policies without ‘one of them’ losing focus and returning to childish behavior,” she wrote, adding she wants to see Harris discuss the economy and border issues more directly.
“So far, I don’t have a clear idea of her plan to address these areas.”
Karen Hughes, an independent voter and retired parole and probation specialist from Nevada, had previously been undecided but had decided to begrudgingly vote for Biden before he left the race in July. Ahead of the debate, Hughes told ABC News by text she was “hoping to see some policy discussions tonight. I’m interested in hearing Trump’s (final) position on abortion, and Harris’s explanation for why she won’t ban fracking.”
The debate affirmed her choice to vote for Harris, Hughes said on Wednesday, as she felt Harris “presents as competent, positive, and very sure of herself. I felt she knew exactly to get into Trump’s head and he fell for it every time,” Hughes said — although she said she felt Harris was still unclear about the shift in her position on fracking. Hughes also criticized Trump’s invocation of “wild conspiracy theories.”
But she’s not looking for another debate: “I think this one was good enough.”
Ian Mackintosh, a voter from Pennsylvania who lives in the Pittsburgh area, also said he hoped ahead of the debate to hear about policy. On Wednesday, he told ABC News by text, “Honestly, I thought it was a complete waste of 90 minutes. If anything, it moved me away from both candidates.”
While he said he understands the challenges of going in depth on complex policy stances in two minutes, it “could have been more substantial” with “less baiting and intentionally riling up the other candidate.”
Mackintosh said he is also disillusioned by Harris’ stance on Israel and Gaza, which he feels is the same as Biden’s.
He said he would not be interested in watching a second debate, and added, “After last night’s debacle I will probably only vote down-ballot.”
Brendan Fitzsimmons, a physician from Wyoming who is a Republican but does not support Trump, told ABC News by text before the debate that he did not expect much from the candidates, “although I would enjoy it if there is a lot of entertainment to it,” he said.
Fitzsimmons admitted that going into the debate, he didn’t feel sold on Harris: “I think she’ll be a terrible president, but I hope she wins,” calling her the “lesser of two evils.”
The morning after the debate, Fitzsimmons said the night changed how he was feeling about Harris.
“I enjoyed the debate and I thought they were both fairly strong, but all in all, Harris was stronger and won the debate and I think showed to a lot of people that she can be president … I am very concerned about foreign affairs, and I think she may be OK in that way,” he told ABC News by text.
Matthew Labkovski, a Republican voter from Florida who supported former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley during the Republican presidential primaries, told ABC News by text before the debate that he hoped to see the candidates discuss policy, and not engage in personal attacks. He said Tuesday evening that he was currently not planning on voting for president.
After the debate, Labkovski said on Wednesday, “I think it actually convinced me not to vote for Donald Trump. All I saw was fear mongering from him and what seemed to be a stretching of the truth,” he said, particularly when it came to Trump’s false claims about abortion and about a false conspiracy theory over immigrants eating pets.
“I am still not convinced though with Harris, as I didn’t get enough policy with her in this debate. To be honest, I would love another debate to see if I was actually comfortable in voting for her,” he said.
Labkovski also criticized Harris’ laughter during the debate, saying that he wished she had remained more even-keeled.
He added that he would have liked her to discuss how she would implement the policies she was talking about.
“How is she going to fight inflation? How is she going to bring peace? That’s what I was hoping the debate would bring … I needed more from her to actually sway from not voting in the presidential slot.”