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Man charged with involuntary manslaughter in 2018 Phoebus Auction Gallery shooting

HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Police have made an arrest more than three months after an apparent accidental shooting that left an employee dead at the Phoebus Auction Gallery in Hampton. 

Joshua James Hartman. (Credit: Hampton City Jail)

Joshua James Hartman, 37, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of reckless handling of a firearm. 


Police say Hartman, of Hampton, negligently handled a gun at the gallery on East Mellen Street on Oct. 2, 2018, firing a round that killed 30-year-old Courtney Dewayne Thomas, also of Hampton. 

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Hartman and Thomas were both employees at the gallery at the time and were good friends, the son of the business owners told 10 On Your Side back in October. 

Police say Hartman remains in custody at the Hampton City Jail.