POCA, W.Va. — A Putnam County man is recovering from a gunshot wound to the leg after a confrontation with three strangers Monday afternoon near the Raymond City Boat Ramp on the Kanawha River.
“The victim did not know the shooter or the suspects,” said Putnam County Sheriff Steve Deweese. “They were just confronting them on not being in that area selling drugs. It went south from there.”
Three African American men in a black Ford Focus were spotted in the parking lot of the boat ramp for an extended period of time. A neighbor went to investigate why they were in the area and the confrontation escalated into gunfire. The victim, Danny Hitchcock, 34, of Poca, was shot in the upper thigh.
“This day in time you can’t do that,” said the sheriff. “You need to notify law enforcement and let us come check it out.”
The suspect vehicle headed south through Poca and back toward Interstate 64. Nobody was able to get the license plate or a good description of the suspects.