CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charges against an 18-year old Charleston man have been upgraded to murder. Initially Jacob Fields was charged with wanton endangerment with a firearm and involuntary manslaughter after the Tuesday morning incident. Charleston Police on Wednesday announced after consultation with the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s office, the charges have been upgraded to first degree murder.
According to investigators Fields was wiping down a pistol in the cab of his vehicle while pumping gas at a Sheetz convenience store in the Kanawha City section of Charleston around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. The gun discharged and the bullet penetrated the vehicle’s windshield before striking a woman in the head as she was walking into the store.
Police say Tiffany Adkins, 42, of Marmet was pronounced dead of the single gunshot wound to the head after being transported to a nearby hospital.
Prosecutors said the decision to upgrade the charges came after a review of all of the evidence collected in the case. They have not indicated what evidence prompted the decision to amend the charges.
Fields remained jailed in the South Central Regional Jail.