LEVELS, W.Va. — A 91-year-old man is dead after a house fire this week in Hampshire County.
According to the Hampshire County Police Department, deputies and State Police troopers responded to a domestic disturbance along Feller Drive near Levels on Tuesday.
911 dispatchers received a brief call from a woman in her 80s who was being held at gunpoint and knife point inside a home with the man.
According to the department, dispatchers were on the phone with the man and the woman for several hours.
The woman eventually escaped the residence unharmed and informed authorities that the man was suffering from a brain bleed and was experiencing abnormal behaviors.
Dispatchers and a State Police hostage negotiator continued to speak to the man for several hours. Police decided to not force entry into the home.
A Facebook post from the department stated, “Based on the conversations, it was determined the male was not going to surrender peacefully. It was believed that forcing entry into the residence would have likely resulted in the need for deadly force. Since the male was alone inside and not posing an immediate threat to others, the decision was made to avoid escalating the situation in hopes that time would help de-escalate his behavior.”
The release went on to say that the man continued to speak with dispatchers throughout the night and it was clear he was not mentally stable.
Members of the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office returned to the home Wednesday morning to serve arrest warrants, but when they arrived, they found smoke inside the home.
When fire crews arrived, the man was found dead of smoke inhalation inside the home. The house sustained extensive smoke, fire and water damage.
The name of the man has not been released.