Two Roanoke men involved in a fatal shooting pled guilty in federal court for their part in the fatal shootings at an Eastern Avenue drug house and drug trafficking activity.
A large-scale distribution of marijuana in rhe Roanoke Valley in 2017-2019 was run by 23-year-old Chad Custer and 28-year-old Aaron Woods as well as other co-conspirators, law enforcement said.
Custer and Woods both face a sentence between 10 years and life in prison.
The shooting took place on July 10, 2018. Law enforcement said a gun battle involving Custer and Woods and a co-conspirator named Darion Harvey took place with the inhabitants of a car that arrived at their drug house. A bullet struck and killed one of the people who arrived as he drove from the scene, according to officials.
Investigators recovered multiple firearms used by Woods, Custer and Harvey during the shootout, including high-powered, military-style rifles with laser sights as well as multiple handguns and ammunition.
“Gun violence is often a companion to drug trafficking, and this is an unfortunate result of that pairing. Nothing can erase the pain that the family and loved ones of this young man feel after his life was taken, but we hope this plea brings some amount of peace and comfort to them,” said Roanoke Police Chief Sam Roman. “This investigation was difficult and lengthy, but we are glad we could work with our partners at the state, local, and federal level to achieve this outcome. Violent crime has no place in Roanoke. The members of the Roanoke Police Department are committed to doing all we can to identify those who are perpetrating violent crime in our community and hold them accountable for their actions.”