WEIRTON - Weirton police took a Weirton man into custody on Thursday after a five-hour standoff in the Kings Creek Bowl area of the city.
Hancock 911 officials confirmed that a call came in around noon Thursday directing police to 357 Wall St. Officials indicated that a third-party caller informed dispatchers that the resident at 357 Wall St., whose identity has not been released at this time, allegedly shot a child out of a tree.
Weirton Police Chief Bruce Marshall said officers responded according to the information provided. He said police cautiously checked the wooded area near the address.
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STREET BLOCKED OFF — Weirton police and other emergency crews had Wall Street blocked off for several hours on Thursday during a standoff incident. According to officials, the incident ended peacefully. -- Contributed
"One problem we faced was the wooded area was open and the resident would have had a clear shot at us," said Marshall.
However, Marshall said further inquiry led police to find that the suspect had yelled to a female neighbor on Wednesday that the child allegedly had been shot. He said police continued to search, but found no one in the wooded area.
After five hours, Marshall said police were able to talk the male subject inside the home into coming out. He said the Hancock County Sheriff's Office got a mental hygiene official onto the scene and brought the man into custody.
"I'd like to thank the Hancock County Sheriff's Department, Weirton fire and WAARS for their cooperation," he said.
Upon search of the home, Marshall said a large amount of ammunition was found along with a homemade explosive device.
He said the incident would remain under investigation.
(Dickson can be contacted at adickson@weirtondailytimes.com)
