FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Two men are facing charges in connection to a drug deal turned shooting in Fairmont.
Kenneth Royal Rager Jr., 28, of Carolina, WV, is charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Kevin Blanks.
Blanks, 29, was pronounced dead at the scene following a shooting on Front Street last week.
According to the criminal complaint, Rager shot Blanks after a “drug deal gone bad.”
A confidential informant tipped the Three Rivers Drug Task Force during the investigation.
Dominic Jones of Fairmont is also facing charges. Jones reportedly drove Blanks for a delivery of two ounces of a counterfeit controlled substance that was “purported methamphetamine.”
Jones is charged with delivery of a counterfeit drug and with conspiracy to commit a felony.
If convicted, conspiracy carries a prison sentence of 1-5 years. The delivery charge can carry 1-15 years in prison.
Rager faces a life sentence, if convicted.
Police said there were as many as five crime scenes related to the investigation, suggesting that a vehicle had been shot multiple times in a potential chase.