Do you know who shot James while he was mowing?
James Thomas Bishop, known to his friends and family as “Jimmy,” was a familiar and welcome presence in his South Richmond community. At 54 years old, the White / Caucasian man was known as a good-hearted, hardworking person who made a living doing odd jobs and landscaping work. He was often seen riding his lawnmower along the Jefferson Davis Highway, not just for work, but to help anyone who needed it, sometimes cutting a neighbor’s grass just to be kind. He was a man who, according to those who knew him, would do anything for anybody. His obituary remembers him as a son and brother, survived by his mother, Betty, his stepfather, two brothers, Robert and Douglas, and two sisters, Lisa and Judy.
On the evening of Monday, September 19, 2016, Jimmy was on his lawnmower near the Grab-n-Go Convenience Store in the 3800 block of Jefferson Davis Highway, a busy commercial corridor on the south side of the James River. At approximately 8:53 p.m., an off-duty police officer who was inside the store heard shouting from outside. When the officer went to investigate the disturbance, he found a tragic scene. Jimmy was on the ground, suffering from a single, devastating gunshot wound to his chest. Emergency medical services were dispatched to the location, and he was rushed to a local hospital for treatment. Despite their efforts, the injury was too severe, and James T. Bishop was pronounced dead.
The news of Jimmy’s violent and seemingly random death sent a wave of shock and grief through the community that knew him as a gentle and helpful man. Friends and neighbors struggled to understand why anyone would target him. Just days after the shooting, loved ones gathered for a vigil to honor his memory, remembering the man who was always willing to lend a hand. They described him as a good man who was simply trying to make a living and help people. The senselessness of the act left his family and friends heartbroken and searching for answers.
The Richmond Police Department quickly launched a homicide investigation. Detectives appealed to the public for assistance, asking for anyone who might have seen or heard something unusual to come forward. They specifically requested that anyone who was in the area of Castlewood Avenue and Bells Road, near the convenience store, between 8:30 p.m. and 8:50 p.m. that night contact them with any information, no matter how insignificant it might have seemed. They hoped to piece together a timeline of events and identify a person of interest or a motive for the killing.
In the years since that tragic September night, the investigation into Jimmy Bishop’s murder has continued, but no arrests have been made. The case has grown cold, and no suspects have ever been publicly identified. The motive behind the shooting remains a mystery, leaving a painful void for those who knew and loved him. His case is one of many unsolved homicides in Richmond from that year, a statistic that represents a family’s ongoing quest for justice.
As of March 2022, the case remains an open and unsolved investigation. The Reopen The Case Foundation, a nonprofit that brings awareness to cold cases in Virginia, has featured Jimmy’s story in the hope of generating new leads. His family continues to wait for answers and for the person responsible for his death to be held accountable. The memory of the kind man on his lawnmower endures in his community, a stark reminder of a life cut short by an inexplicable act of violence.
