Total Maniac Charged With Hate Crimes In Virginia After Shooting At A Jogger Because He Was Black

Posted • August 28, 2025: The Richland County Sheriff's Department says it has charged the first person under a new county hate crime ordinance. Jonathan Felkel, 33, was arrested Thursday and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and violating the county's hate crime ordinance, according to Richland County court records. Felkel was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and scheduled to have a bond hearing Friday. His first court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 26, court records show. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Friday that Felkel, who is white, is accused of firing a gun at a Black man who was jogging in the Spring Valley area the morning of July 17. Lott said the victim was out jogging around 6 a.m. when Felkel allegedly pulled up in his car, fired a gun and made derogatory statements toward the victim. Lott played a security video of the incident to reporters last Friday.

The video shows a dark-colored BMW car pull up to a gate. A person in the driver's seat can be seen reaching for what appears to be a long gun and then firing that weapon one time out of the driver's side window. A person yelling can be heard in the video as the driver exits through the gates. Felkel allegedly yelled at the victim, "keep on running boy" after firing the gun. A provided incident report said the victim said he was "shot at" and that Felkel "fired a shot into the air." Lott said both Felkel and the victim live in Spring Valley. He said the victim and Felkel, however, did not know each other and never had an encounter before July 17. The "suspect just saw a Black man running in the neighborhood, said, 'I'm going to shoot him,'" Lott said. "And that's what he said. That's from his statements, that he was shooting just cause he was Black."