ROSEDALE, W.Va. — One man is dead in Braxton County following an officer-involved shooting after two days worth of confrontations between police and a suspect.
Gary Joe McCourt Jr., 50, at different points armed with multiple firearms and a knife, was shot by police at a residence on Upper Sleith Road in Rosedale, an unincorporated community in parts of Braxton and Gilmer Counties.
The confrontations with police began Wednesday night. Officers responded to a shooting at a residence in a rural area of Braxton County. They were warned a man, believed to be McCourt, was armed with a high powered rifle and possibly a pistol. Officers cleared three buildings in the area while attempting to locate him. It’s unclear if there were any injuries in the shooting, but officers discovered bullet holes and damage to one of the buildings where a relative of the alleged shooter and a live-in girlfriend were residing.
On Thursday, State Police from the Elkins Communications informed the Sutton Detachment that a woman had called police claiming “her son is going to kill someone.”
Police followed that lead to the residence on Upper Sleith Road — where a stand-off occurred between McCourt and police. The mother again advised police her son had violent intentions, claiming he would “kill any officer that come near him.” She also advised police he was on drugs.
At one point, McCourt was outside the residence and advancing on his mother with a large knife. When police drew their weapons, he fled back inside.
McCourt allegedly told police he would “not kill himself” and would force police to do it. Following additional negotiations to surrender peacefully, officers entered the residence. The suspect, who barricaded himself into a single room, is said to have yelled “you are all going to have to kill me, I guess” before he charged at police with a knife. Police then opened fire, killing him. The information was confirmed both by the Sutton Detachment of the West Virginia State Police and by Sergeant Mark E. Sanders.
“Obviously, there’s an inherent threat in any type of situation like that,” Sergeant Sanders said. “The sensitivity comes with the family members and the residents. They are very difficult situations for us to respond to and deal with after the fact.”
No officers were injured in the incident.