Man charged with homicide after another man shot, killed in Lunenburg hunting incident released on bond

LUNENBURG COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A 47-year-old man charged with homicide last week after he allegedly shot and killed a man in a Lunenburg County hunting incident was released on bond following a hearing on Tuesday morning.

During an arraignment on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 47-year-old Jonathan A. Bailey of Mecklenburg County -- who allegedly killed a man in a hunting incident on Tuckers Road in the town of Keysville in Lunenburg County on Feb. 17 -- was released on bond, per online court records.

He was released on a $100,000 secured bond by the judge during Tuesday morning's hearing, according to the Lunenburg Circuit Court.

According to a release from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources on Oct. 9, Bailey was indicted by a Lunenburg County grand jury on the following charges:

• Homicide
• Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony
• Assault in the commission of a felony
• Reckless handling of a firearm
• Hunting with a firearm while intoxicated
• Shooting across a roadway

The department said the suspect, identified as Bailey, was predator hunting with another hunter when he allegedly shot and killed 54-year-old William C. Gaulding III, of the town of Victoria in Lunenburg. Gaulding was reportedly also hunting in the area.

William Gaulding, who was shot and killed in a hunting incident in Lunenburg County in February of 2025. He was 54 years old. (Courtesy of the Gaulding family)

8News spoke with Gaulding's sister, Brandy Roque, back in March. She said the grief was overwhelming.

“Of all the things that could’ve killed my brother, he was killed doing what he loved,” she said.

Bailey's next scheduled court appearance is on Tuesday, Dec. 16.