The victims in last Friday's home invasion in Fayetteville that ended in a shooting have been arrested on suspicion of drug charges, according to police.
Virgil Gulley, 24, and Mallory Britt, 25, were arrested Wednesday by Fayetteville police, four days after Britt was accidentally shot in the left calf by her ex-boyfriend and the home's other occupant wrestling over a gun during a home invasion.
Gulley and Britt face charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Gulley was released Wednesday from jail on $5,000 bond because of an added potential charge of simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm. Britt was released Wednesday from jail on $2,500 bond, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Michael Schur, 26, was initially arrested following the shooting and faces residential burglary and first-degree battery charges. He was booked into the Washington County Detention Center, where he remains in lieu of $25,000 bond, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Schur was identified as a person of interest after an apparent home invasion attempt and shooting. His arraignment was set for Nov. 25. The Sheriff’s Office website identifies him as homeless.
Britt was shot in the left calf during a struggle for a handgun in the incident at 3216 Warwick Drive, according to a Fayetteville Police Department news release. She was transported to Washington Regional Medical Center, where she was treated and released.
According to a preliminary report, Schur contacted the Springdale Police Department because he had heard the Fayetteville Police Department was looking for him. He also had an active warrant for his arrest on other charges.
During an interview with police, Schur initially denied being involved in the home invasion but later admitted it, according to the report.
“I was relieved that they did arrest someone,” said Joanne Patterson, who lives on Warwick Drive.
Schur confessed to going into the house to steal marijuana from the victims. The report states Schur is Britt’s ex-boyfriend.
Gulley later admitted to police that there was almost two pounds of marijuana and $2,465 in the home.
“The police told us not to worry so that night I thought that it had not been random,” Patterson said.
Police responded to a disturbance at the house about 9:25 p.m and received a 911 call from a resident claiming to have been the victim of a break-in during which a woman living there was “accidentally” shot, the release states.
“She came by to pick up her dogs,” Larry Fultz said about Britt’s condition after the shooting. “She was on crutches, but she was just as bubbly and cheerful as she always is.”
Fultz said police stayed in the neighborhood until Saturday morning.
“There were several police, but they were real nice and cordial,” Fultz said. “They came over and talked with each of the neighbors to let them know what was going on.”
Fultz said he didn’t hear a gunshot because he was watching television with his headphones.
“I wasn’t aware of anything until the ambulance arrived. The fire truck was already here and so were the police,” Fultz said.
Gulley told police he answered his door with a handgun when someone knocked, and when he opened the door, two people “with bandannas covering their faces rushed inside and began struggling for the firearm,” the release states.
Marc LeBlanc said he moved into the neighborhood from New Orleans in July.
“It’s a nice neighborhood, it’s a family neighborhood, it’s kind of why we picked it coming from out of town,” LaBlanc said.
LaBlanc lives about a block away from where the shooting happened. He said he didn’t hear anything Friday night.
“It’s kind of spooky. We’re just hearing about it,” LeBlanc said. “It’s just surprising.”
Investigators found a bullet hole in Schur’s shoe and Gulley had visible marks on his body from the fight, according to the report.