RICHARD, W.Va. — Multiple shots were fired during an early morning dispute at an after hours club outside of Morgantown early Saturday morning.
It appears there were injuries, and there were blood stains in the parking lot of The Exotic Life Club along Route 7 in Richard just outside of Sabraton, but the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department has not yet released details. Officers were still on the scene at mid-afternoon Saturday.
David Helmick, who lives next door to the club, told MetroNews he was awakened early this morning by gunfire.
“I heard gunshots about 4:30 or 5 o’clock this morning,” Helmick said. “They were fighting all night long. They were cussing and hollering and trying to get into fist fights.”
Helmick said he thought he heard as many as 16 shots in rapid succession. He said he immediately called 911.
Vic Soloman, whose family owns the building, said they recently leased the property to several individuals from out of town. He added that according to a Facebook post by one of the lessees, there was to be a gathering at 3 a.m. Saturday at the club for a memorial for a friend.
The shooting brought out multiple police agencies. The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call 5:39 a.m. on Saturday. The call changed to a shooting at 5:42 a.m., according to MECCA 911.
Morgantown, Westover, Star City and Granville police departments also responded to assist, as did Brookhaven Volunteer Fire Department, Mon Health EMS and Health Team EMS.
The call was cleared and the road reopened at 9:13 a.m., a MECCA 911 supervisor said.
William Dean, Dominion Post, contributed to this story.