Brian Christian Sledd, 29, was shot and killed on the evening of March 2, 2025, in the rear parking lot of the Town of Vinton Municipal Building. That lot had been designated as a safe drop location for child custody exchanges and was equipped with surveillance cameras. Sledd was accompanying his friend Jeffrey Alan Catron during a custody exchange involving Jordan Daniel Pierce, 45, of Salem.

Police say an argument escalated and Pierce is accused of firing about 13 rounds, striking both Sledd and 31-year-old Catron. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. The shooting was witnessed by Pierce’s three sons, their mother, and two Roanoke County firefighters. Pierce was taken into custody at the scene and has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony; he is being held without bond at the Roanoke County Jail.

Sledd is remembered as a devoted husband, father, and a kind man who would do anything for anybody; he leaves a wife, a young son, and a stepdaughter. If anyone was at the municipal building during the exchange or has information that could help, please come forward.