UPDATE May 6, 2021: Charges against Creath have been certified to a grand jury.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A man accused of shooting his daughter’s boyfriend in Virginia Beach told police that he fired his gun in self defense, court documents reveal.
Patrick Fonatine Creath Jr., 43, is charged with malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The charges stem from a June 19 shooting in the 900 block of Maximus Square where a man — Creath’s daughter’s boyfriend — was seriously injured, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
Creath was released from the Virginia Beach Correctional Center on bond on June 26. He is scheduled to appear in Virginia Beach General District Court on Aug. 21.
10 On Your Side requested comment from Creath’s attorney, James Broccoletti. It was not received by the time of publication.
RELATED: Arrest made after man seriously injured in shooting on Maximus Square in VB
Creath told police he was at the scene of the argument to talk to his daughter’s boyfriend. He said the man “kept threatening to kill him.” The man continued to make threats as he got into his car. As he drove away, the man allegedly pointed a weapon at Creath and his daughter “as if to shoot them.” Creath told police he feared for his life and shot at the man’s car several times “in defense of himself and his daughter,” court documents state.
The man was seriously injured in the shooting. He drove to a nearby 7-Eleven, where the VBPD and emergency services were called. Police found him suffering from several gunshot wounds inside of the store. His car was also damaged by bullets, according to court documents.
An off-duty trooper told police the man removed a bag from his car and took it into the store. The police recovered the bag and found a gun, court documents state.
“Mr. Creath remained on scene of the shooting and was in possession of the firearm that he used at the time of police arrival. Regarding to the investigation as a whole, another firearm was in fact recovered, however, as this investigation is still ongoing, we cannot comment where it was recovered, or who it belonged to at this point. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” VBPD Officer Linda Kuehn told 10 On Your Side in an email.
The injured man and his family declined to speak with 10 On Your Side for this story. He is not facing charges.
Tamara Scott contributed to this story.
Correction: An earlier version incorrectly listed the month of the shooting. The shooting was in June 2020.