MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Detectives with the Morgantown Police Department are piecing together details from the crash and shooting investigation Monday night on Don Knotts Boulevard in front of the Waterfront Hotel and are looking for help from the public.
At 9:16 p.m. Monday, Police Chief Eric Powell said officers responded to what appeared to be a typical vehicle accident but found the driver with a gunshot wound to the right shoulder.
“The driver might have suffered the gunshot wound prior to the accident, and the accident may have been a result of his inability to operate the vehicle, but we’re not 100 percent sure on that,” Powell said.
Powell said the shooting victim was transported by Mon EMS with a serious gunshot wound. Detectives continue looking at evidence and conducting witness interviews. Witnesses reported seeing a man running away from the area. He was described as a black male with short hair, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket. Powell said the suspect may have been inside the car with the victim.
“All indications right now are leading us to believe that the gunshot occurred within the vehicle. “We don’t have any evidence that it came from outside the vehicle,” said Powell.
“We’ve got a general idea of the direction of travel that the person fled on foot,” Powell said. “We’re trying to go through that information right now; that’s certainly part of the process.”
The call is an example of how routine can quickly become an unknown and potentially dangerous situation. Powell said that throughout each shift, officers make every effort to prepare for the possibility of anything happening, and this was one of those situations.
“They always have to be on their guard, and they always have to be ready for things to be a little bit different than what they initially appear to be,” Powell said. “That’s always part of the job—you never know what you’re walking up to.”
Anyone who may have seen something on Don Knotts Boulevard or on the Rail Trail can call the Morgantown Police Detective Division at 304-284-7454.