New information released about fatal shooting in Fayette County

MOUNT CARBON, W.Va. (WVNS) — Additional information about the shooting in Fayette County that left two people dead and three injured has been released by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, a preliminary investigation into the shooting in the Mount Carbon area of Fayette County on Monday, Aug. 18, revealed that “it was an isolated incident with possibly a single individual target.”

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said that the two people who died were identified as 49-year-old John Middleton (victim), and 53-year-old Michael Hall (suspect), both of Mount Carbon.

According to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the three people who received minor injuries from shotgun pellets were thought to be bystanders that were not targeted intentionally.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said that “the motive of the incident is still unclear and the incident remains under.”

According to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, members of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Mount Carbon area of Fayette County at around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, August 18, 2025 for a reported gunshot victim and a gunman at large.

Information from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office stated that once members of the responding agencies arrived at the scene, they found the suspected shooter, later identified as Michael Hall, inside his house, dead “from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.” The second person, who was identified as John Middleton, was reportedly found dead “outside under a neighboring carport.” 

Responding agencies included members of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, West Virginia State Police, Montgomery Police Department, and officers with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR).