A man is dead after two Parkersburg police officers opened fire on him outside a home in the 4000 block of 11th Avenue, following a report of someone brandishing a firearm. Police say the man had a long gun, ignored officers' commands, and then pointed the weapon toward them before officers shot him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the police account relayed by newsandsentinel.com, officers responded around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday to the 4000 block of 11th Avenue. That matches the account given to the Marietta Times, which also reported officers responding to the same address at the same hour following the initial report. Police said they found a man outside the residence who was in possession of a long gun.
Police said the man did not comply with officers' verbal commands. He then pointed the firearm toward the officers, at which point two Parkersburg officers discharged their department-issued firearms, striking him. Emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the scene to provide assistance, but the man with the weapon was pronounced dead there.
Call Described as a Man Waving a Gun
The initial report that sent officers to the scene was described somewhat differently by another outlet. WTAP reported that police had responded to a call regarding a man who was waving a gun around a house on 11th Avenue in south Parkersburg, a detail that frames the initial 911 call rather than what officers encountered once they arrived.
Parkersburg Police Chief Matt Board provided the department's account of the incident, as reported by WV MetroNews. The police release did not identify the man who died, nor did it name either of the officers involved in the shooting.
State Police Investigating, Officers on Administrative Duty
West Virginia State Police are now conducting a criminal investigation into the full incident, per the police release. The two officers who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative duty while the Parkersburg Police Department carries out its own internal review of the shooting.
The department has said it will not release further information while the investigation remains ongoing, but added that additional details will be provided once they can be appropriately released and after all necessary parties have been spoken with, according to the police account. Neither the man's identity nor the officers' names have been made public as the case proceeds.
