BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Beckley man has been charged in connection with a shooting that left a victim critically injured and hospitalized in intensive care, according to court documents filed in Raleigh County.
Police say Brayden Knight played a key role in the April 28 shooting by driving the suspected gunman to the scene, helping facilitate the attack, and then assisting in the getaway afterward.
Officers with the Beckley Police Department responded to a shooting shortly after it occurred on April 28. At the same time, authorities learned that a male victim had been rushed to the hospital by his girlfriend in a private vehicle.
The victim had been struck multiple times by gunfire and remains in intensive care as a result of his injuries, investigators said.
Detectives and crime scene personnel processed the scene and recovered several pieces of evidence, including five spent 9mm shell casings and what was believed to be the victim’s blood.
As the investigation progressed, detectives obtained surveillance footage from the area that captured the suspect vehicle. According to investigators, at least two individuals were inside the vehicle. Video showed the suspected shooter entering the front passenger seat before the vehicle fled the area at a high rate of speed following the shooting.
Additional surveillance footage reportedly captured the face of the driver while the suspects were traveling to the area before the shooting. Detectives later identified the driver as Brayden Knight.
Investigators determined the suspect vehicle had been rented from an Enterprise location in Princeton.
On May 7, detectives were notified that the rental vehicle had been returned and that employees believed possible evidence related to the shooting had been left inside. Police obtained a search warrant and searched the vehicle.
During the search, investigators recovered several items, including a Walmart receipt dated April 27, the day before the shooting.
Detectives then worked with Walmart loss prevention personnel to obtain surveillance footage associated with the purchase. The footage allegedly showed two individuals in the store, including a man investigators identified as Knight.
Police said the identification was confirmed through surveillance images and interviews with people familiar with Knight.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators determined Knight drove the shooter to the area of the attack, dropped the gunman off approximately one block from the victim’s location, and then circled the area while the shooting occurred.
Authorities allege Knight positioned the vehicle so the shooter could quickly return after the attack and then drove away from the scene in an effort to avoid detection by law enforcement.
The shooting occurred in Beckley and remains under investigation by the Beckley Police Department.
Additional charges against other individuals involved in the case may be pending.
