Virginia Beach judge grants bond in Father's Day fatal shooting case

A Virginia Beach judge set a $10,000 security bond for Dylan Sherwood, the 25-year-old accused of fatally shooting his father on Father’s Day. Judge Timothy Quick ruled that Sherwood was not a flight risk or a danger to the community, even as prosecutors pressed a case built around a violent death inside the family home.

Sherwood is charged with voluntary manslaughter and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in the death of Daryl Sherwood, 55. Police responded to the 2100 block of West Kendall Circle at about 8:15 p.m. on June 21, where officers found Daryl Sherwood after the shooting. He was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.

The bond hearing turned on competing versions of what happened inside the house. Prosecutors played Ring camera footage from inside the home that showed Paula Sherwood standing between her husband and son, trying to calm an argument. In the video, Dylan Sherwood told his mother, “Mom, you’re not OK,” and a few moments later Daryl Sherwood came into frame, according to the account presented in court. The footage allegedly showed Daryl Sherwood pushing Paula aside before moving toward Dylan, and several gunshots were heard as Paula screamed.

Sherwood’s attorney argued that the shooting was self-defense and said Dylan feared his father would harm his mother. A family member testified that Daryl Sherwood had a history of abuse and had previously assaulted Dylan and another son, testimony that put the family conflict squarely at the center of the case. The hearing was less about a simple bond decision than about whether the evidence would support a claim that the shooting was justified or whether prosecutors would prove a felony killing.

Quick’s ruling also added immediate conditions to Sherwood’s release. He ordered weapons removed from the home and required drug testing while Sherwood awaits trial. Those terms leave the case in a narrow space between a domestic tragedy and a criminal prosecution that will likely turn on the Ring footage, the family testimony, and the judge’s decision that Sherwood could be released before those claims are tested in court.