Update: Victim identified, details shared by police in Georges Creek fatal shooting

“He came out of the woods armed,� Lester said, “and shots were fired.�

‘[Police] shot five times’

Speaking at the scene Tuesday night, Chief Deputy Joe Crawford said the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit was attempting to arrest the man on felony gun warrants and other charges. Crawford said county deputies assisted the CPD, because the location was outside the city.

“He ran out the rear of a residence,� Crawford said, “into a steep, heavily wooded area.�

“From all indications,� Crawford said, “the officers tried to deescalate the situation by calling the individual out. The individual did not comply with those requests or demands to come out.�

Crawford did not know how many rounds were exchanged in the gunfire. “We just know that there was an exchange of gunfire.�

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Crawford said there were, “more than one or two shots� fired.

Tuesday night at the scene, a man who said he is the son of the victim’s fiancé said he heard five shots fired after a scuffle in the woods.

“As soon as the wrestling stopped [the police] shot five times,� said John Cooper, who said he was in a nearby house at the time.

Confusion about a weapon

Tuesday night, in a news release from the sheriff’s office, Lester said that — after reviewing body cam footage — officers “identified what appeared to be a firearm in the man’s hand as he pointed it at his head while refusing to drop the weapon per the officer’s commands.�

“Officers gave the man numerous commands to drop the weapon, but [he] would not and yelled repeatedly for the officers to kill him. The man then pointed the firearm in the direction of the officers. Feeling that their lives were in immediate danger, a ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Police Officer discharged his firearm at the suspect, fatally injuring him.â€�

On Wednesday, Crawford said they could not confirm that Duelley had a weapon, and he would not identify the CPD officer who shot Duelley. Crawford also could not confirm where Duelley lived.

The response from the police

Lester said in the news release that, “no one in the community was injured during this incident and no officers were harmed.�

Crawford asked the public Tuesday night to simply heed the requests of officers in situations like this, and not run or fight back.

“This is the third or fourth officer-involved shooting [locally] where someone has lost their life. It’s a tragic event,� Crawford said. “Our sympathies are with the family.�

Crawford said the sheriff’s office will conduct a criminal investigation of the incident. The ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Police Department will conduct an internal review of the shooting.

This is the 15th reported homicide in Kanawha County in 2024.

Staff multimedia journalist Sean McCallister and City/County reporter Ashley Perham contributed to this report.