One dead in police shooting at Charleston, WV emergency room

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — A man was shot and killed by police early Friday morning after pulling a knife on patients and staff in the Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) emergency room.

The man initially walked into the emergency room seeking treatment, Charleston Chief of Police Scott Dempsey said.

He entered the hospital just after midnight seeking treatment for an unknown injury. Witnesses said the man began acting erratically, yelling and being aggressive towards other patients. He then locked himself in a bathroom for several minutes before emerging with a knife.

The man’s behavior continued to escalate. He moved furniture, pulled a fire extinguisher off the wall and sprayed it around the room and threatened bystanders.

The man began lunging at patients and staff with the knife before police arrived on scene at 1:44 a.m.

The officers quickly made contact with the man, ordering him to drop the knife. The man then ran into an elevator where a hospital employee was present. As he began attacking the employee in the elevator, police opened fire, striking the man and dropping him to the floor.

Law enforcement officers attempted life-saving measures, but the man was declared dead shortly after. The employee in the elevator was not injured.

The emergency room was briefly placed on lockdown before reopening.

Dempsey said the police department is not yet releasing the name of the man because they are still working to notify the next of kin. Investigators are looking into the possibility of mental illness being a factor in the ordeal.

Witnesses said that multiple bystanders attempted to reason with the man and de-escalate the situation, but to no avail.