AMANDAVILLE, W.Va. – A gunman shot five people in a home west of Charleston before dawn Tuesday, killing three and critically injuring another, authorities said.
The two wounded men managed to escape and run to a nearby house, where neighbors called police about 3 a.m., said Kanawha County Sheriff Mike Rutherford. A sixth person who had been in the home was also injured when he jumped through a window trying to escape the mayhem.
Rutherford said authorities were searching for a suspect, identified as Keith R. Jeffers, 20, and a white car seen leaving the scene. Jeffers was wanted on three murder charges and two counts of malicious wounding.
"We are familiar with the house and several of the people," Rutherford said. He said a drug connection had not been ruled out.
The home is on a dead end street in an unincorporated community near St. Albans, about 15 miles west of Charleston.
The sheriff's department identified the victims found there as Dennis Lovejoy, 47, the house's co-owner; Amanda Ingram Walker, 31, of St. Albans; and Gregory Childress, 46, of Culloden.
James Adkins, 39, of St. Albans, was in critical condition and Jerry Allen, 33, of Dunbar, was under observation at Charleston Area Medical Center, a hospital operator said.
Dave Taylor, whose age and home town were not released, was treated for injuries sustained when he jumped through a window.
Ingram's brother, Tony Gurley, said he saw the shooting on the news.
"I had a bad feeling, my gut just flipped over," said Gurley, who provided deputies with information to help identify his sister.
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