BOONE COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A 70-year-old Boone County man is facing a felony charge after deputies allege he admitted firing a handgun during an argument inside his home, striking a woman.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Boone County Magistrate Court, Charles Stephen Thompson, of Danville, is charged with one count of malicious wounding.
The complaint states that deputies responded to Boone Memorial Health’s emergency department at about 2 p.m. on June 25 after receiving a report of an accidental shooting.
Investigators said the woman initially provided only limited information about the incident while receiving medical treatment.
Deputies later interviewed Thompson at Boone Memorial Health. According to the complaint, after being advised of his rights, Thompson allegedly admitted the shooting was not the result of a firearm cleaning accident, as had initially been reported.
Instead, investigators allege Thompson said he and the woman had been involved in an argument inside a bedroom at a residence on Spars Creek in Danville. During the argument, Thompson allegedly discharged the handgun in anger, striking the woman. The complaint states Thompson repeatedly told investigators he did not intend to shoot her but fired the weapon because he “wanted her to shut up.”
Authorities executed a search of the residence and recovered the handgun allegedly used in the shooting, along with additional evidence related to the investigation.
According to the complaint, Thompson and the woman had lived together for more than a year but described themselves as friends.
Thompson was charged with malicious wounding. As with all criminal defendants, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
