On Jan. 31, at 10:30 p.m., five victims ages 38 of Chaptico, 33 of Mechanicsville, age 9 of Mechanicsville, 54 of Chaptico, and 31 of Mechanicsville, were hunting “coons” on a private property on St. Andrews Road, which borders the property of James Philip Simpkins, Jr., 36 of California.

The victims and Simpkins are familiar with one another, and have spoken on previous occasions when the victims were hunting on the land.  According to the victims, Simpkins was aware the victims where hunting that evening as he drove past them earlier on his way to his residence.

The victims were hunting utilizing hunting dogs outfitted with GPS devices.  One of the dogs did not return when called and had appeared to stray off towards the Simpkins' residence.  The victims, attempting to recover the dog walked out of the woods near Simpkins’ residence. The victims heard Simpkins yell for them to get off his property and then they heard several gunshots coming from the Simpkins residence. 

The victims scattered without ever finding their dog. The victims contacted the police.  DFC George responded.  The victims advised their dog (non-aggressive hunting dog) was still showing on Simpkins’ property.  DFC George contacted Simpkins who admitted he saw the victims coming out of his woods, and yelled at them to get off his property before firing two “warning shots” up in the air from his 9mm pistol to get them to leave. DFC George seized the handgun and arrested Simpkins.  Simpkins was charged with five counts of reckless endangerment.

The dog was located unharmed hiding under a shed.