BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – In an interview with CNN on Wednesday evening, U.S. Senator Jim Justice (R-WV) said he would support the deployment of National Guard troops in Beckley.
Justice appeared on CNN’s ‘The Lead’ hours after two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot while on duty in Washington, D.C.
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One member, Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of Summersville, succumbed to her injuries Thursday while 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe of Berkeley County is still fighting for his life in the hospital.
When asked, Justice said he hoped West Virginia would send more troops to Washington, D.C.
“I would hope they would,” Justice said.
He also stated he would support the deployment of troops in Beckley.
“I was asked a question not long ago. Little town of Beckley, West Virginia, where I grew up, you know, supposedly the crime in Beckley, West Virginia, is pretty doggone bad. And someone asked me. He said, ‘Would you be in favor of putting some National Guard members there and everything because of the high crime rate there, and maybe that could settle down?’ I said, ‘You daggum right. I mean, really and truly, we deserve to be safe in this country.’”
Justice praised the members of the West Virginia National Guard, noting their work and efforts in the deadly 2016 floods and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
“[The West Virginia] National Guard is unbelievable, they’ve done so much good and they’ll step up again if called upon.”
According to available data, Beckley has one of the highest crime rates in the state.
