Sheperdstown, WV (JK) – A 19-year-old man is dead and a suspect is in custody following an early-morning shooting at an apartment complex in Shepherdstown.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched around 3:38 a.m. Friday to University Heights Apartments on Hensel Drive for reports of gunfire. A caller told emergency dispatchers that a man had been shot multiple times and the suspect had fled on foot.
When deputies and emergency crews arrived, they located 19-year-old Evan Taylor inside an apartment. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses provided a description of the suspect, which was broadcast to responding officers. Police say an officer with the Shepherd University Police Department reviewed campus surveillance footage and spotted a man matching that description walking onto university property shortly after the shooting. Cameras tracked the suspect to a parking lot, where officers detained him.
During the stop, authorities say a loaded Glock handgun was recovered. The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Travis Smith, was later charged with murder.
Several agencies assisted in the investigation, including local police departments and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
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