Man Shot by BB Gun During Commuter Lot Cricket Game

A Vienna man has been charged with malicious wounding following a reported shooting Sunday in the Horner Road commuter parking lot in Woodbridge.

Prince William County Police reports said that officers arrived to the lot at 4:13 p.m. and encountered a large crowd. The victim, a 35-year-old man from Owings Mill, Md., told police he had been shot in the head with a BB gun.

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An investigation revealed that the victim and a group of acquaintances were playing cricket in the parking lot when the Nijee Mathew Pendergrass was almost struck by one of the balls in the game, according to Jonathan Perok, Prince William County Police public information officer.

Pendergrass, the accused, was not affiliated with the group playing cricket. Perok said Pendergrass allegedly fired a BB gun, which struck the victim. Police said Pendergrass fled from the scene before police arrived but witnesses provided information as to his identity. 

Pendergrass was located and was arrested later in the day following an investigation. He is charged with malicious wounding and has a court date set for July 11; he is held without bond. 

The victim sustained a non-life threatening wound to the head and was treated at an area hospital; he has since been released from the hospital.

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