TEMPERANCEVILLE, Va. - A deadly weekend shooting at a bar in Temperanceville left the small Accomack County community shaken Monday, as people near the scene tried to make sense of violence they said still feels hard to believe.
The Accomack County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened around 1:41 a.m. Sunday at Par 4 Bar & Grill on Lankford Highway. Authorities said five adult men suffered gunshot wounds, another man suffered a laceration to the face, and one man was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies said Skylor Dupree Crippen was charged with second-degree murder, two counts of attempted malicious wounding of EMS personnel and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony after investigators said shots were fired toward EMS crews as they arrived. No EMS personnel were hurt. The investigation remains active.
For many in Temperanceville, the reaction Monday was less about the case details and more about the emotional toll of something so violent happening in a place they view as quiet and close-knit.
“It’s still hard to believe,” Eddie Tipton told WBOC. “The Eastern Shore is a great place to raise children. So that’s why we came here.”
Tipton, who said he has been in the area for about 20 years, said shootings like this are not something people see as routine in Temperanceville, even if some worry violence is becoming more common.
“It’s not common,” he said. “It’s not common, but it is getting more prevalent.”
The sense of unease was also felt by workers nearby. Yudanny Meuli of Domi-Mex Food Truck, located down the road from the bar, said the shooting struck a nerve because of how close it happened to businesses and people who work in the area every day.
“It is sad,” Meuli said. “The owners took a really long time to try to open that place. They’re really nice people.”
Reaction also spread beyond Temperanceville. In neighboring Chincoteague, Mayor Denise Bowden wrote on Facebook that the violence had people across the Shore reflecting on what she described as more peaceful times while urging people to show more kindness and decency toward one another.
As investigators continue piecing together what happened inside and outside the bar early Sunday, the mood in Temperanceville remains one of shock, sadness and disbelief.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office.
