Global Courant
BEECH CREEK, W.Va. – A state police officer was shot dead in southern West Virginia on Friday and a suspect was later arrested, authorities said.
Sergeant Cory Maynard was killed in the shooting, Governor Jim Justice said in a statement, adding that he was “absolutely heartbroken.” He and first lady Cathy Justice expressed their condolences to Maynard’s family.
“The brave men and women of law enforcement and all first responders who risk their lives every day to keep us safe are an inspiration to all of us,” Justice said.
Officers responded to a complaint of a shooting in the Beech Creek area of Mingo County and were met with gunfire upon arrival, police said in a statement. Maynard was initially taken to a hospital in Logan.
The suspect, Timothy Kennedy, 29, of Beech Creek, was taken into custody Friday night after an extensive search, state police later said in a brief statement.
No other injuries were reported and further details about the shooting were not immediately made public.
News outlets reported that local residents were advised to stay indoors during the search, and a Friday night graduation ceremony at Mingo Central High School was postponed.
The shooting took place in the same county where Sheriff Eugene Crum was shot dead in April 2013 at a spot in Williamson where he usually parked his car for lunch. Later a suspect was found incompetent to stand trial and was ordered to be committed to a state psychiatric facility for life.
Mingo and neighboring McDowell County are home to the legendary blood feud between the Hatfield family of West Virginia and the McCoy family of Kentucky.
Mingo County was referred to as “Bloody Mingo” during the coal mining wars in the early 1900s. Ten people were killed in a well-known gunfight from 1920 as the “Matewan Massacre”, between miners led by a local police chief and a group of private security guards hired to evict the miners for union membership.
