CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The reward in the search for Bluefield, W.Va. man accused of shooting a Bluefield, Va. police officer has been upped.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) announced Wednesday it has matched the $5,000 reward amount set out by the U.S. Marshals Service for information which leads to the arrest and apprehension of Donquale M. Gray, 25, to make the total reward $10,000.
“Gray is definitely a danger to the public and we need the public’s assistance,” Adam Black, the ATF Resident Agent in Charge for Charleston Field Office said Wednesday. “That’s why ATF joined with the U.S. Marshals Service and added this $5,000 from the ATF Washington Field Division.”
Gray made the announcement alongside Michael Baylous, the U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of West Virginia, at a press conference inside the Federal Courthouse in Charleston. Baylous had a message for Gray, as the Mercer County man is suspected of shooting the officer late Saturday night during a traffic stop within Bluefield, Va. city limits.
“Mr. Gray, if you can hear my voice, I urge you to turn yourself in right now and take responsibility for your actions like a man,” he said. “If you’re unwilling to do so, I promise you, you will not get a day of rest. We will find you and bring you to justice.”
Baylous also urged anyone thinking of helping Gray to come forward and provide information. He added anyone who does, as long as they are forthright and truthful, may be able to minimize their exposure.
The search continues with concentrated efforts in the Princeton area and around southern West Virginia but Baylous noted it has gone beyond that. He feels that they are getting closer to Gray day by day.
“We are able to go out beyond that,” Baylous said of southern West Virginia. “We have followed up on leads outside of the area and we are willing to go on leads wherever leads may take us. He shouldn’t become complacent and think that we are only in southern West Virginia. We could be anywhere following a lead and we are willing to go anywhere.”
Black said that Gray does have some criminal history as he is currently out on bond from an arrest in November of 2018 stemming from a firearm and narcotics charge. Those charges were out of Bluefield, Va., he said.
“Anyone who would intentionally harm a police officer and in this case shot a police officer,” Baylous said. “That’s the kind of person who has no regard for human life. They would not hesitate to harm anyone in our society.”
The U.S. Marshals Service, along with the ATF, Princeton Police Department, West Virginia State Police, Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, and the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office, have been operating 24 hours a day to locate this armed and dangerous suspect, per release.
Officials are urging anyone with information on Gray’s whereabouts to email USMS84.TIPS@usdoj.gov or questions@VSP.VIRGINIA.GOV. They said should the information be of a critical or urgent nature, please call 911 or local law enforcement directly.