WESTON, W.Va. — Hundreds of people have stories they’ll tell for years about a chance encounter Thursday as they passed through Weston on I-79.
Jeff Shelosky of Monongah, W.Va. was headed south and rolled up on the scene of a gunman in the opposing lane aiming a rifle at law enforcement down the hill in the northbound lanes. State Police have now identified the gunman as Matthew Brevosky, 38, of Grindstone, Pa.
“I thought I was pulling up onto an accident and I saw an SUV sideways and saw somebody lying down,” said Shelosky.
He started slowing down, and turned on his phone video to capture the moment.
“By the time I realized it, I was already stopped and looking at a man who was looking through a high-powered scope at the cops,” he explained.
Brevosky turned and made eye contact and actually engaged in conversation with Shelosky.
“I was thinking maybe he was an undercover cop and I asked him if he was with the cops and he said something to the effect of I better get out of there or I was going to be a hostage. I know he used the word ‘hostage’ but then I realized what was going on and I took off. I was fussing at myself for stopping. That was crazy,” he explained.
Coming the other direction was Shady Spring Basketball Coach Ronnie Olson. He was in a hurry and admitted he was pushing the speedometer a little too hard when several state troopers appeared in his rearview mirror. He pulled over and they headed on past him and into the stopped traffic.
“I got off the Weston exit and went ahead and went another way. I stopped at the gas station and they said they were closed due to a local emergency. I turned on the radio and low and behold there was an active shooter not 500 feet away from me,” Olson said in an appearance on Friday’s MetroNews Talkline.
Ronnie Olson,@ShadySpringbas2 head coach, was among the many people on I-79 near the Weston exit during the shoot off. Ronnie talks about his experiences and how close he was to @DaveWilsonMN. WATCH: https://t.co/yCFQ3nDJuy pic.twitter.com/aconmQ1YMn
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) June 17, 2022
He admitted the event was surreal and certainly made him count his blessings.
“It was unreal. I felt like God was telling me to stop, if not I would have driven right through there at that point and passed him right by,” he said.
Ceterika Waddell of Glenville was headed to Morganntown to visit a critically ill family member in the hospital. She was two cars behind the shooter’s vehicle. She provided this account of the incident to MetroNews.
“I got on the interstate at the 99 mile marker and got over in the fast lane. All of the sudden traffic came to a complete stop in front of me. The vehicle that was two cars in front of me turned sideways in the fast lane with the front of the vehicle facing the south bound lanes. I assumed there was a wreck. I was waiting for traffic to pass in the slow lane so I could get over and go around .
The truck that was in front of me pulled out and went around quickly. I could then see the man at the back of his suv. Again I thought he had wrecked and was trying to wave traffic down for help.
He then started running towards my truck putting his hand up to get me to stay there. I looked in his right hand and seen a gun (pistol) and I just knew I had to get my two-year old son out of there. He got to about my headlights and I just floored my truck and got out of there. He then went running to the 18 wheeler behind me and I called 911. I know he had short dark hair but that’s honestly all I can remember it all happened so fast.”
Brevosky was killed by law enforcement at the scene following unsuccessful attempts to communicate with him. An investigation into the case continues.