By John Raby
Associated Press
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia police officer who was following a car with a headlight out shot the driver Wednesday after the man attempted to hit the officer with his vehicle, authorities said.
Mickey Cecil Davis of South Charleston was in a Charleston hospital’s intensive care unit after the 1 a.m. shooting in Nitro, said Kanawha County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Humphreys.
The shooting occurred after a Nitro police officer attempted to stop Davis, whose vehicle had only one operating headlight. Humphreys said in a news release that Davis, 28, didn’t stop and a short chase followed.
Humphreys said after Davis eventually stopped in front of several townhouses, he attempted to hit the officer with his vehicle. The officer then fired several shots, striking the driver several times.
Humphrey said the officer and a passenger were not injured. The officer’s name wasn’t immediately released. The officer has been placed on administrative leave.
The passenger, Tia Streater, 25, of Charleston, was charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Humphreys said the vehicle was improperly registered and not on file with the Division of Motor Vehicles.
Nitro police asked the sheriff’s office to investigate. Humphreys said no decision has been made on charges and that after the investigation is complete, it would be turned over to the county prosecutor’s office.
It wasn’t immediately known whether Davis has an attorney.
According to Kanawha County Magistrate Court documents, Davis has a long arrest record, including four arrests in January and February. In June, Davis was charged by a Kanawha County grand jury with possession of a stolen vehicle. Davis is white. A dispatcher who answered the telephone at the Nitro police department Wednesday said she could not give out any information about the officer.
It marked the second shooting involving Nitro police in three months.
In August, Nitro police Sgt. T.A. Jarrell was responding to a call about a domestic disturbance when he fatally shot a man who fired a gun at him as he approached at a boat dock.
Nitro is about 14 miles west of Charleston.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press