CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A woman killed a man Saturday afternoon while he was strangling and pulling her across her apartment floor, Charleston police said.
“A clear cut case of self-defense,” Chief of Detectives Lt. Steve Cooper told MetroNews. “He laid his gun down so he could strangle her. She grabbed the gun and used it to save her own life.”
The two, who met on the backpage.com website, had arranged a Saturday meeting at the woman’s 6th Street apartment,” Cooper said it was likely their first meeting.
“When he arrived she opened the door and he immediately pulled a firearm and pointed it at her,” Cooper said. “He told her he was going to kill her. He began beating and choking her.”
The woman tried to scream but couldn’t because of the tight grip. Cooper said the man dropped the gun to pull the woman up and when he did she grabbed it “pointed it backward over her shoulder and pulled the trigger striking the man and killing him instantly.”
No charges will be filed against the woman, Cooper said. She was being treated for injuries at a Charleston hospital Saturday evening.
Police haven’t yet released the name of the man. His car had an Oregon license plate. Investigators were waiting on a search warrant Saturday night for the car. Cooper said there were items in plain view that appeared “extremely suspicious.”
Backpage.com is a website used for dating and escort services.