Three Federal Marshalls Injured in Raid

[Ritterin Sophia]

Three Deputy U.S. Marshals were shot early this morning at a residence on Central Street in Elkins as they attempted to serve an arrest warrant, according to the U.S. Marshals Office of Public Affairs. Two of the deputies were taken to a local hospital, while one was transported by a helicopter. A news release from the Office of Public Affairs stated its spokesperson did not know the condition of the Deputy Marshals.

Reporters with The Inter-Mountain on scene have observed a non-uniformed law enforcement agent wearing pants who appeared to have blood on them and a bandage under his left eye speak with authorities. That agent was also seen hugging a second non-uniformed officer. Staff on scene also witnessed authorities escorting a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier behind the crime tape. After a brief conversation with an investigator, the Postal Service worker left the scene. Police are also checking license plates on vehicles parked along Central Street.

The Inter-Mountain has received no confirmation about the name of the person being served the search warrant by the Marshals, or who fired the shots. West Virginia State Police have confirmed that the U.S. Marshals and the FBI will be handling the investigation.

The FBI is on the scene of the incident; and its crime lab is expected to arrive later today. Authorities have taped off the sidewalk in front of the residence leading from Worth Avenue to Central Street.

Elkins Fire Chief Tom Meader has confirmed that his department helped transport a male gunshot victim to a hospital.

Agencies that have assisted in the situation this morning include the Elkins Police Department, Randolph County Sheriff's Department, West Virginia State Police, U.S. Marshals and Randolph County EMS.

Police placed barricades at Central Street and Glendale Avenue and Central Street and Worth Avenue.

Link

This is big news for a town of only 7k.

[SirNitram]

Hope they make it to a CMAC hospital.

[Ritterin Sophia]

Channel 12 News (Our local station) is reporting that one of the Marshals is dead. Still no mention as to who it was that shot him and the others.

Edit: What's a CMAC hospital?

[erik_t]

Shockingly, nobody knows where Elkins is. To save everyone else a few minutes of googling or eagle-eying the article, it is in West Virginia.

[SirNitram]

Channel 12 News (Our local station) is reporting that one of the Marshals is dead. Still no mention as to who it was that shot him and the others.

Edit: What's a CMAC hospital?

I futzed the acronym: Charleston Area Medical Center. They run quite a few hospitals. They've proven damn good with alot of ailments.

Voice of experience. <----

I also have no idea where Elkins is. I wouldn't be surprised if LadyTev knows.

[Ritterin Sophia]

The Davis Memoral Hospital Hospital is a block away from where the shooting occurred and the hospital also has a helicopter that would probably life-flight to Ruby Memorial in Morgantown. According to my sister, it took them twenty minutes from Elkins to Morgantown when she was hit by a Ford Explorer.

Elkins and Randolph, so you can get a feel for where it's at.

Shockingly, nobody knows where Elkins is. To save everyone else a few minutes of googling or eagle-eying the article, it is in West Virginia.

Excuse me for assuming people would read.

Edit: The suspect was a guy named Charles Smith.

ELKINS -- Authorities with several different law enforcement agencies were called to the scene of a fatal shooting in Elkins.

Around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, deputy U.S. Marshals were trying to serve an arrest warrant on Charles Smith, 50, at his house on Central Street, according to officials.

When they entered the home, Smith shot one deputy, in the neck. A second deputy was shot in the shoulder with a shotgun. The third deputy received facial injuries from shrapnel from the shotgun, Federal Magistrate Judge John Kaull said.

Officers returned fire, killing Smith, Kaull said.

Two of the deputies were taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, where they underwent surgery. One of the deputies died at the hospital, according to Kaull. The other deputy made it through surgery and officials with the U.S. Marshals said they hope for a full recovery.

The third deputy was taken to Davis Memorial Hospital in Elkins, where he was treated and released.

Smith was armed with both a .45 caliber handgun and a shotgun, Kaull said.

Judge Kaull issued the warrant for Smith, who was wanted on Federal drug charges, early Wednesday morning, he said.

In 2006, Smith was indicted by a Federal grand jury on a charge of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine.

Marshals had been looking for Smith since March 2010, according to the search warrant.

On Feb. 10, an Elkins police officer saw a man matching Smith's description, near the house on Central Street, the warrant described. The officer informed the deputies, who then filed the search warrant, Tuesday. You can read the full warrant at the link below.

Smith had lived in the house for about a year, neighbors said.

Authorities have blocked off the streets surrounding the house.

The state police, the FBI, U.S. Marshals and the Randolph County Sheriff's Department are on the scene.

The Elkins Fire Department also responded.

A news conference is expected later Wednesday.

[Steven Snyder]

It is times like this that I want to know who is in charge of this state's militia. Not that I could do his job any better but he should be doing more to ensure that it is as "Well Regulated" as dictated by the US Constitution.

[Ritterin Sophia]

It is times like this that I want to know who is in charge of this state's militia. Not that I could do his job any better but he should be doing more to ensure that it is as "Well Regulated" as dictated by the US Constitution.

West Virginia doesn't have any major militia groups. The last one was the Mountaineer Militia and it was disbanded when most of it's members were arrested for plotting an attack on the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, WV. That was in 1996.

[Sea Skimmer]

The problem in the US is all the members of the real state militia we used to have were used as the cadre for the Federal National Guard in 1916. At the time the entire regular US Army was only about 100,000 men and couldn’t supply anything like enough cadres for expansion. Since then some states still maintain paper militia organizations but none of them actually exist on more then a very localized basis for search and rescue.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

I believe the largest is Texas, which maintains five battalion-strength and battalion organized military police "brigades" to fill in with natural disaster response when the TNG is heavily deployed, and to encourage people to join gives them discounts on tuition at state owned universities. They also have a bunch of old M-113s and even an "aviation brigade" with a dozen hueys.

[Ritterin Sophia]

I should add that the warrant, in addition to possession and selling of narcotics, was for an illegal purchase of a weapon.

[Steven Snyder]

Sorry, my response was pure sarcasm.
I was a big 2nd amendment guy in my youth but have since modified my stance. I just think it is odd that we totally ignore the first 3 words to that entry in the bill of rights. I think an organization that keeps up with the mental health and training of the gun owning crowd.

[Steven Snyder]

Ghtetto edit: iPhone acting goofy
I think an organization that keeps track of the mental health and training of the gun-owning crowd is a good thing. You want a firearm, fine, join the state militia. You will be checked out to ensure your fit for duty, and if you are; report to your CO and training is one weekend every other month.

Nevermind this is too far fetched

[Rogue 9]

Ghtetto edit: iPhone acting goofy
I think an organization that keeps track of the mental health and training of the gun-owning crowd is a good thing. You want a firearm, fine, join the state militia. You will be checked out to ensure your fit for duty, and if you are; report to your CO and training is one weekend every other month.

Nevermind this is too far fetched

Unfortunately for this line of reasoning, the United States Code, Title 10, Chapter 13 defines the militia as all able-bodied males who are or have declared intention to become citizens of the United States, with a short list of exceptions, as well as female members of the National Guard. If you restrict gun ownership to the militia as defined under law, you effectively ban civilian women from bearing arms, and achieve very little real effect apart from depriving said women of a mode of self-defense, as most non-defensive shootings, mass or otherwise, are carried out by men.

[ShadowDragon8685]

Ghtetto edit: iPhone acting goofy
I think an organization that keeps track of the mental health and training of the gun-owning crowd is a good thing. You want a firearm, fine, join the state militia. You will be checked out to ensure your fit for duty, and if you are; report to your CO and training is one weekend every other month.

Nevermind this is too far fetched

Unfortunately for this line of reasoning, the United States Code, Title 10, Chapter 13 defines the militia as all able-bodied males who are or have declared intention to become citizens of the United States, with a short list of exceptions, as well as female members of the National Guard. If you restrict gun ownership to the militia as defined under law, you effectively ban civilian women from bearing arms, and achieve very little real effect apart from depriving said women of a mode of self-defense, as most non-defensive shootings, mass or otherwise, are carried out by men.

Wouldn't that be quickly challenged in court as a violation of equal protections and forced to be amended to remove the gender qualifications?

[Rogue 9]

Unfortunately for this line of reasoning, the United States Code, Title 10, Chapter 13 defines the militia as all able-bodied males who are or have declared intention to become citizens of the United States, with a short list of exceptions, as well as female members of the National Guard. If you restrict gun ownership to the militia as defined under law, you effectively ban civilian women from bearing arms, and achieve very little real effect apart from depriving said women of a mode of self-defense, as most non-defensive shootings, mass or otherwise, are carried out by men.

Wouldn't that be quickly challenged in court as a violation of equal protections and forced to be amended to remove the gender qualifications?

Precisely (if you used it to deprive rights and privileges, that is; no one's lining up to sue to be eligible for the draft), which leaves you back where we are now. And good bloody luck getting rid of the militia laws altogether; they're the basis of the Selective Service (which you have to fill out that card for when you turn 18, can't secure student funding without, etc.) that forms the basis of the emergency draft contingencies. No, if you want to limit firearms, you need a different way. Organizing the unorganized militia would work, but that was tried with the first Militia Act of 1792, and it didn't work out very well. Of course, that Act required all able-bodied (white of course, given the time) male citizens to purchase and maintain their own firearms and ammunition as well as attending bi-monthly training, and the states (which enforcement was left up to) by and large mandated the possession of heavy-caliber muskets unsuitable for non-military use and unaffordable by people on what was then the median income.