BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Authorities are currently seeking a male involved in a reported domestic violence incident on Friday afternoon.
According to the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, on May 19, 2023, at around 1:00pm, Deputies with the department responded to a reported domestic violence situation at Cranberry Woods Apartments at the intersection of Cranberry Drive and Dearing Drive.
The suspect involved had reportedly fled the area on foot prior to the arrival of authorities at the scene. Reports also indicated that the suspect was armed with two firearms.
An extensive search of the area was conducted by Deputies to no avail. Administrative staff at Cranberry Elementary were notified of the situation, and a description of the suspect was provided out of an abundance of caution due to the proximity of the school to the area at which the initial incident had occurred.
The Raleigh County EOC received a third party 911 call at approximately 2:15pm which reportedly indicated that two males brandishing firearms were at the playground area of Cranberry Prosperity Elementary. This in turn provoked a substantial response from the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, West Virginia State Police, Beckley Police Department, and other entities.
An extensive search of the area was conducted, and no suspects were located. Further investigation led to the discovery that the 911 call had been placed as a result of a miscommunication. A series of exchanges apparently led to the inaccurate assumption that there were two armed males at Cranberry Prosperity Elementary.
The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office confirms that there were no threats made specifically to the school, and that it was never the case that two armed males had been present at the Cranberry Prosperity Elementary playground area.
