In a recent development, Joseph R. Austin III, one of the two individuals charged in connection with a May 2022 shooting in southeast Roanoke, was apprehended last week and subsequently granted bond on Thursday, marking the end of an 18-month period as a fugitive.
Initially arrested after a shooting incident that left two people injured in the 1500 block of Queen Ann Drive Southeast, Austin faced charges of malicious wounding and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on May 15, 2022. Despite being granted bond by Roanoke Circuit Court on May 27, 2022, Austin faced further legal challenges.
Two months later, a Roanoke grand jury indicted Austin on the charges of malicious wounding and firearm possession, leading to the issuance of a bench warrant for his arrest, despite the earlier bond grant. From July 2022 until his recent arrest on Jan. 31, 2024, Austin was listed as a fugitive in Virginia’s court case information system.
Court documents reveal that Austin was granted a $7,500 secured bond last Thursday after spending about a week in custody at the Roanoke City Adult Detention Center. The conditions of his bond include compliance with pretrial services, encompassing drug and alcohol testing, as well as refraining from possessing dangerous weapons, including firearms.
Notably, Austin is required to have no contact with specific individuals, including co-defendant Dashaun L. Williams and the shooting victim mentioned in Austin’s indictment, Emmanuel Hakeem Burly. Williams, indicted in July 2022 on a malicious wounding charge, remains a fugitive with a bench warrant issued for his arrest.