On August 8, 2006 at 2310 hours, patrol officers from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Department responded to the parking lot of a Mini Mart located in Mechanicsville for a reported shooting. Investigators were immediately contacted and the investigation was assumed by the St. Mary's County Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI).
The investigation revealed that a physical altercation began on the property of the Mini Mart. The altercation involved several witnesses; several victims; the suspect, Dempsey Wayne Herring Jr.; and several of his friends. Herring is a 25 year old male from Mechanicsville, Maryland. The names of the witnesses and victims have not been disclosed.
Witnesses reported that Herring struck one of the victims in the face. This initiated a mutual physical combat between associates of Herring and the undisclosed victims and witnesses. Herring left the Mini Mart and returned to his residence which is located nearby. He then returned to the Mini Mart with a 12 gauge shotgun and fired several rounds into the crowd.
As a result, three victims were injured. One victim suffered a shotgun wound to the hand and was transported to St. Mary's Hospital for treatment before being released. Another victim suffered a shotgun wound to the right arm and was transported to the Washington Hospital Center for treatment and remains in stable condition. The remaining victim suffered a shotgun wound to the back and legs and was also transported to the Washington Hospital Center for treatment and also remains in stable condition.
Upon completion of the investigation, Herring was charged with two counts of Attempted Murder 2nd degree, three counts of Assault 1st degree, four counts of Assault 2nd degree and four counts of Reckless Endangerment. Herring is incarcerated in the St. Mary's County Detention center pending a bond review.