Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis and his investigators are focused on answering two primary questions in the shooting death of Frederick Wooden.
“One, what was the motive for him to kill himself and two, why did he choose the sheriff’s office. We’d love to be able to answer those questions,” Davis said, and he’s hopeful that items recovered from Wooden’s car and home will help provide those answers.
Wooden, 39, a local investor and businessman, was found October 15 with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. His white 2022 Audi SUV was parked in front of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.
Within minutes of the incident, investigators filed the first of three affidavits for search warrants – to conduct a search of Wooden’s vehicle, which was then in the sheriff’s office parking lot.
An affidavit filed in the Henry County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office stated in part that a woman “came into the lobby of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and stated that a man just shot himself. As deputies and investigators arrived,” they found that Wooden was in the driver’s seat.
Wooden “appeared deceased, with a gunshot wound to the left side of his head. The passenger side door was already open when investigators arrived, and a black firearm could be observed at the male’s feet. The evidence requested would assist investigators” in determining the manner of death, the document stated.
According to an inventory list, items recovered from the vehicle included a Beretta Px4 Storm .40 caliber, 10 .40 caliber rounds, seven HP towers from the trunk of the vehicle, a Sceptre Monitor from the trunk, a Samsung phone from the center console, .40 caliber cartridge casing from the passenger side floorboard, .40 caliber bullet, GSR (Gunshot Residue) Kit, $595, Va. Driver’s License, bank card, Tesla card, key from left pocket, casing from driver’s side, swab of red stain on roof of car, swab of red stain from center console, $2,035, Audi key fob with three keys, and a garage door opener.
A second warrant was for Wooden’s residence, listed as 70 Hunt Woods Drive, Martinsville, court records show. The house was described as “a tan and stone, multi-level structure with an attached garage,” where authorities sought “any documents notating threats of death or bodily harm” to Wooden, and “any portable communication devices that can send or receive messages and call log history.
“It is reasonable to believe that the items listed … would be at Wooden’s residence where he also would receive mail.” Those items also could provide authorities with information “about possible threat to Wooden that resulted in his death,” court records stated.
Items recovered from Wooden’s home included a black Samsung phone, rose gold iPad, gold iPhone, purple iPhone, iPad in black flowers case, silver Lenovo laptop, iPad in black case and a black Samsung in a black case, according to court documents.
The document also noted that investigators had talked “to close friends and relatives that arrived on scene” of the shooting a short time after the incident. “Starrea Manns, a former girlfriend” told authorities she spoke to Wooden earlier that day, and he sounded “paranoid and advised her that he had ‘done something bad,’” court records stated.
“Manns further stated that Wooden told her that he was either going to have to kill someone today or someone was going to kill him,” according to court documents. Manns and other family members were unable to find Wooden after speaking with him and began searching for his vehicle.
“Manns located the vehicle at the sheriff’s office. When they went to the window, they observed Wooden with a gunshot wound to his head,” the document stated.
Authorities also have asked for a data extraction of the Samsung Galaxy 23+ smartphone that was recovered from Wooden’s vehicle.
“Any and all information and/or data” contained in the phone, is being sought, including text messages, call logs, emails, voice mails, photographs, electronic media, SD cards, videos, images, files, folders, web searches/history, contacts and/or any other formats, files of folders, including third party apps capable of storing information in the device. The document also specified any recoverable deleted data and other evidence related to threats.
“A data extraction for the device is necessary to determine who was in recent contact with Wooden and determine if threats were received that resulted in Wooden’s death,” documents stated.
The results of that search are pending data extraction, according to court documents.
Investigators continue to seek information about the circumstances that led to the tragedy, Davis said.
“We want to find the answers for the family and for our employees,” Davis said. “We have a large number of civilian employees, and this has rattled them.” Even certified law enforcement officers “don’t see that every day, and they don’t expect it at their workplace.”
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at (276) 638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463). Rewards of up to $2,500 are available through the Crimestoppers program for information related to crimes. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information provided determine the amount of the reward.
