BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) — Several law enforcement authorities shot a man on a federal highway in West Virginia, news outlets reported Wednesday, and video of the shooting was circulating on social media.
According to a press release from West Virginia State Police Captain R. A. Maddy, at approximately 9:47 a.m., initial 911 calls reported an armed suspect fleeing from a crash scene off of Dry Hill Road in Raleigh County.
The suspect then stole a blue pickup truck and fled in an unknown direction. A short time later, the suspect was located at Big Lots near the Raleigh Mall in the stolen vehicle. The man refused to stop for officers and a pursuit ensued leading into Fayette County and back into the Bradley area of Raleigh County, the news release said.
In the video, the man walks onto the four-lane freeway near the city of Beckley while holding what appears to be a handgun. At least a half-dozen law enforcement officers are in pursuit with their guns drawn. The man alternately points the object in his hand at his head and raises it in the air several times while facing the officers and then turning his back and walking away.
