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Killer Sentenced to Four Life Terms
The man who opened fire in a gay bar in Roanoke, Va., last September, killing CWA member Danny Overstreet and wounding six others, has been sentenced to four consecutive life terms in prison.
Ronald E. Gay, 55, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and six counts of malicious wounding. In court and police interviews, he said he was on a mission to kill gay people and was upset over the slang use of his last name.
Overstreet was a Verizon service representative and active member of CWA Local 2204. Colleagues remembered how he cheered them up on the picket lines during the Verizon strike last summer. Overstreet and his dog, Friday, turned out for every rally, both dressed in red.
“Danny knew the issues and was very dedicated to doing his part to make sure we got a good contract,” Local 2204 President David Layman said in an interview after the shooting. “He was a funny, outgoing individual. You couldn’t help but have a good time when you were around him. He just had a really good attitude toward life.”
Hundreds of union members and other activists turned out for rallies in Washington, D.C., and in Roanoke to decry bigotry and demand stronger state and federal laws to address hate crimes.
Ronald E. Gay, 55, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and six counts of malicious wounding. In court and police interviews, he said he was on a mission to kill gay people and was upset over the slang use of his last name.
Overstreet was a Verizon service representative and active member of CWA Local 2204. Colleagues remembered how he cheered them up on the picket lines during the Verizon strike last summer. Overstreet and his dog, Friday, turned out for every rally, both dressed in red.
“Danny knew the issues and was very dedicated to doing his part to make sure we got a good contract,” Local 2204 President David Layman said in an interview after the shooting. “He was a funny, outgoing individual. You couldn’t help but have a good time when you were around him. He just had a really good attitude toward life.”
Hundreds of union members and other activists turned out for rallies in Washington, D.C., and in Roanoke to decry bigotry and demand stronger state and federal laws to address hate crimes.