Resident tells Rockingham elections board two gunshots were fired at Zion Baptist precinct; asks for alternate site

Diane Parnell, a Reidsville resident, told the Rockingham County Board of Elections during the public comment period on May 20, 2025, that “shots fired” occurred at the Zion Baptist precinct on two occasions and asked the board to look for an alternate polling place.

Parnell said she provided the board with proof of the incidents and said the events happened twice. “We had a member here at that time that had experienced those shots fired,” she said during her three-minute public comment slot.

Her remarks were made during the public comment portion of the board’s regular meeting; the transcript records no motion or vote to change Zion Baptist as a polling location at that meeting. The board opened the floor for public comment and limited each speaker to three minutes.

Paula (the elections director) and board members heard Parnell’s request during the meeting; the record shows the item was presented as public comment only. The transcript does not record any subsequent discussion, directive to staff, or formal action to evaluate or relocate the precinct during that session.

Because the statement was delivered as public comment and no formal action appears in the record, the board’s next steps — whether staff will investigate the incidents, consult law enforcement or bring a relocation proposal back to the board — were not specified in the transcript.

Members of the public with documentation or concerns about polling place safety were shown how to provide materials: Parnell offered a handout to the board through staff during her remarks.