The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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  • Law enforcement officers check vehicles at a roadblock Thursday morning on W.Va. 61, just outside Oak Hill city limits, while searching for a suspect in the shooting of Oak Hill Police Cpl. Chris Young. After making a routine traffic stop around 4:30 a.m., the driver of the stopped vehicle exited and shot Young, who was later treated and released from Plateau Medical Center. F. Brian Ferguson

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  • A bullet hole is shown in the lower part of the driver’s door of Oak Hill Police Cpl. Chris Young’s patrol car. Police describe the suspect as a black male, driving a large dark-colored vehicle with Ohio tags. He fired two shots at Young, one hitting his cruiser and the other striking Young’s bullet-proof vest at the base of his sternum. Christopher J. Jackson

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March 18, 2010

Oak Hill police officer shot

By Christopher J. Jackson Register-Herald Reporter

OAK HILL — An Oak Hill police officer was shot early Thursday morning outside Oak Hill. Cpl. Chris Young was shot once in the chest after a routine traffic stop around 4:30 a.m. on W.Va. 61 about a mile out of Oak Hill. Oak Hill Police Chief Michael W. Whisman said the suspect stopped his vehicle abruptly, got out and began firing at the six-year police veteran. “The suspect exited his vehicle along with officer Young exiting his cruiser and the suspect produced a hand gun and started firing shots at Cpl. Young,” Whisman said. “One of those shots struck the vehicle door and the other struck officer Young in the chest.” Young was wearing a bullet-proof vest, Whisman added. He was transported to Plateau Medical Center in Oak Hill where he was treated and released. Bullet-proof vests are issued to patrol officers and although it’s typical for officers to wear them, it’s not required, the chief said. The bullet hit Young at the base of the sternum, according to Whisman, saying had he not been wearing a vest “he probably would have been deceased.” The Fayette County Sheriff’s Department is handling the investigation and a massive search is under way in the area where Young was shot, Whisman said. “They have reason to believe that the suspect may be in that area of Fayette County,” he said. A State Police helicopter is being used to scour the area and municipal agencies are assisting in the search, he said. Several roadblocks were in place following the incident. Whisman said the suspect, a black male, was driving a “large dark-colored vehicle with Ohio tags.” Anybody with information or who sees anything suspicious is urged to call the local 911 center or the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department at 304-574-4304 or Oak Hill City Police at 304-465-0597.

— E-mail: cjackson@register-herald.com

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Today's Front Page
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