MONTCALM, W.Va. — A man was shot and killed by police Saturday afternoon in Mercer County after trying to pull a gun from his pants, police said.
Dennis Claude Stanley, of Bluefield, actually attempted to grab what police later learned was a replica gun.
Stanley was in the middle of Route 71, Lorton Lick Road, near Montcalm when police arrived on the scene at shortly after 3 p.m. Police had received a call that a man was acting erratically. Police said Stanley refused repeated commands to show his hands.
State police confirmed Saturday night a Mercer County deputy fired the fatal shot. Troopers are investigating.
The shooting marked the third officer-involved shooting in recent weeks. An elderly man was shot and killed by Monongalia County deputies and a Roane County man was killed by troopers.