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Richmond man killed on riding lawnmower

Posted at 12:14 PM, Sep 20, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-20 12:15:44-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- Police identified the Richmond man shot and killed Monday night on a riding lawnmower as 54-year-old James "Jimmy" T. Bishop.

Bishop, of Goolsby Avenue, was shot in the chest outside the Grab-n-Go Convenience Store at 3800 block of Jefferson Davis Highway, police said.

He later died at the hospital.

"At approximately 8:53 p.m., an off-duty officer heard yelling from the exterior of the Grab-n-Go Convenience Store," a Richmond Police spokesman said. "As he exited the store to investigate, he found the victim [Bishop] with an apparent gunshot wound."

Workers along Jeff Davis Highway called Bishop a neighborhood fixture.

"He's always on the lawnmower," Buddy Marable said. "I see him up and down the pike all over the place. Morning, noon, and night."

"[He's a] hard worker," Bishop's friend Steven Konwerski added. "He would make his living on the street cutting grass or doing whatever to help. Even when he wasn't making anything he'd pitch in and lend a hand."

Police wanted to hear from anyone who was in the area of Castlewood Avenue and Bells Road between 8:30 and 8:50 p.m. Monday and may have seen Bishop on his lawnmower.

"Devastating there's no reason for it," Konwerski said. "Jimmy wouldn't hurt anybody and I can't imagine anybody wanting to hurt him."

Police have not yet released information about a shooting suspect.

Anyone with any information was asked to call Major Crimes Detective Chris Foultz at 804-646-6996 or Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.

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