NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — “He threatened to blow my place of off the map,” says Rudy Feuerschultz — whose business is located down the road from William Rankin.
Rankin is the Chesapeake man who police say is responsible for the shooting at the Social Security building in Norfolk Monday.
He stands accused of, among other charges, attempted murder of a security guard.
During the incident, Rankin, too, was then critically shot by the guard.
Long before we knew who William Rankin was, Feuerschultz knew him plenty well after taking him to court for threatening to bomb or burn a structure and destruction of property.
In what can only be called bizarre behavior, according to Feuerschultz, the dispute began with Rankin being upset that he had to pay an extra $25 for a third brake light,
“My son told him $75 and he got a little heated. I had already told him $75, I was gone, and I happened to come back. I told Rankin, again, the price is $75. Those third brake lights are expensive. He offered $50, so all this is over an extra $25.”
Feuerschultz laid down the law on the price again.
“When I did that and told him $75, he left out of here cussing, kicked one of my car doors, and hit his fist on the car window.”
Feuerschultz was shocked by the reaction over what he described as a small amount of money. But then, Rankin took the issue to a new level.
“He told me he was going to blow my place off the map. He was going to blow my building off the block. I didn’t know what his intentions were.”
So, he called police and the Fire Marshall. They all got on the phone and called Rankin.
“They got on the phone, we got him on a speaker phone, and Rankin starts threatening them. I guess he may not have believed it was the cops and the Fire Marshall.”
Feuerschultz says, “I’ve seen this guy nice, and I’ve seen him not nice. This guy is a real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You can see it in his eyes — anger. A lot of anger.”
He explained it as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde because, “one minute he is a nice guy, and the next minute he wants to cut your throat, and that’s pretty much Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I can’t trust this guy, I mean is he going to shoot me?”
After Feuerschultz’s court case, Rankin was given a one-year sentence suspended for three years of good behavior, but Rankin’s back in trouble, again.
Feuerschultz adds, “He threatened to blow up my place, and actually hurt me, and my family. I think he is capable of that from what I see now.”
10 On Your Side went to speak with Rankin’s wife, but she did not want to talk.
Thursday, Rankin was listed in critical condition with life-threatening injuries but now he is listed as a “No information available” patient at Sentara Norfolk General.
