Jordan Daniel Pierce, Salem, Virginia dad shoots & kills ex wife’s new fiancee & friend in front of their 3 kids during custody swap at safe space. Victims id as Jeffrey Alan Catron and Brian Christian Sledd.
A Virginia father shot and killed his ex-wife’s fiancee and his friend in a police department parking lot during what was supposed to be a safe place to exchange their children during a custody swap.
Jordan Daniel Pierce, 45, of Salem is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the shooting deaths of 31-year-old Jeffrey Alan Catron and 29-year-old Brian Christian Sledd. The shooting occurred at about 5:13 p.m. on March 2 in the rear parking lot of the Vinton Municipal Building, WFXR-Fox reported.
Pierce who remained at the scene was arrested and charged with two counts of ‘2nd Degree Murder’ along with two counts of ‘Use of a firearm in commission of Felony’ according to the Vinton Police Department.
Safe drop locations were designed to provide maximum transparency and safety
According to court documents, Pierce was dropping the couple’s three children in what is designated a ‘safe drop location.’ Pierce opened fire in front of his three sons, firing a total of 13 shots. Two Roanoke County Firefighters also witnessed the shooting, WFXR-Fox reported.
Catron was engaged to Pierce’s ex-wife, and Sledd was described as a friend, according to WDBJ-7. The two men died in the police department parking lot.
The ‘safe drop locations’ was unveiled in 2017. It is denoted with green paint and signs. There is a sign and a visible surveillance camera. The area is under surveillance 24 hours a day.
Virginia dad had previous criminal history
A previous WDBJ-7 report told of the designated ‘safe area’ meant for locals to safely drop off or pick up something bought online.
The area was clearly marked on the pavement — with a sign and a surveillance camera right in front of the police department.
‘The idea is to create a safe space for people all across the Roanoke Valley,’ the report noted.
Pierce was arrested at the scene and was being held without bail at Roanoke County Jail.
The father previously pled no contest to a misdemeanor attempted assault and battery on Catron in February of 2022.
He received a one-year sentence for that, but the court suspended all the time.
