CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County judge dismissed a charge Thursday against a man accused of killing a teenager on Charleston’s East End last year.
William Pulliam, 62, of Charleston, wanted to plead guilty to a felony charge of being a person prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Prior to the hearing, state Circuit Judge Charles King signed an order prepared by prosecutors dismissing the charge.
Pulliam allegedly shot and killed 15-year-old James Harvey Means in November 2016. Pulliam has said it was in self defense and Means was carrying a BB gun in his waistband, which was supported by a testimony from Charleston Detective Chris Lioi in December.
According to a criminal complaint, he told officers after the shooting “another piece of trash is off the street.”
A Kanawha County grand jury indicted Pulliam on three counts in March.
In addition, Pulliam also faces federal charges for allegedly lying on federal forms to purchase a firearm, a .380-caliber revolver that was used to shoot Means twice.