James Lynn Sonny Buchanan was shot and killed while working at Fitzgerald Auto Malls in North Bethesda, near Rockville, Maryland, on the morning of October 3, 2002. He was a White 39-year-old man. Witnesses described a sudden, distant shot that struck Buchanan as he moved across the property; there was no obvious confrontation, no shouted threat, and no immediate suspect at the scene.

The killing was the first of several shootings that day across the Washington region. Investigators coordinated across jurisdictions, comparing timing, ballistics, and locations as the attacks continued. On October 24, 2002, police arrested John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo at a Maryland rest area; the pair were linked to the spree and later prosecuted for the Montgomery County murders that included Buchanan’s death.

Muhammad was convicted in Montgomery County of first-degree murder in Buchanan’s killing and received life sentences; he was later tried and sentenced to death in a Virginia case. Malvo, a juvenile at the time, was also convicted in Maryland for the Montgomery County murders. If anyone knew James Buchanan or has information about him or that morning, please share what might help fill gaps in the timeline.