According to reports, the shooting near the school in Kanawha County was a “hunting situation,” says the sheriff

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — UPDATED – 11:20 AM, 9/20/24

Investigators said the shots fired near a school in Kanawha County on Friday morning appeared to be a “hunting situation.”

Kanawha County Sheriff Mike Rutherford said workers outside Sharon Dawes Elementary School heard what sounded like gunshots and shotgun pellets hitting the roof of the building around 7:45 a.m.

Officials said they later found shotgun pellets on the school's roof, but could not immediately confirm whether they were from Friday morning's incident.

The West Virginia State Police were able to locate five people who were in the woods near the school during the morning hours and are currently investigating the incident. The case has been turned over to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Police.

Rutherford said he encourages anyone who wants to go hunting to stay as far away from hunting flocks as possible.

“We want to make sure hunters know and are careful when they are near a school because it can be very disturbing for teachers, students, parents and police,” Rutherford said. “Hunters have to be very careful because often they are just hunting the way they have been doing it for hundreds of years, but these days you can't take any chances.”

The elementary school was temporarily cordoned off, but Kanawha County officials quickly determined there was no danger there.

Deputies said they were aware that the shooting may have been related to a hunt, but that due to the proximity of the school, a large police presence was deployed out of an abundance of caution.

The sheriff's office said no arrests have been made as they are still investigating who fired the shot. During the investigation, projectile evidence and several weapons were recovered, a press release said.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

ORIGINAL STORY

Multiple law enforcement agencies are on scene after a shooting occurred in a wooded area near Cabin Creek in Kanawha County.

The Kanawha County Sheriff's Office said it is currently trying to determine if it can find anyone in the woods where a shot was allegedly fired. A West Virginia State Police helicopter and other resources have been requested to investigate the area.

Squirrel hunting season begins this week in West Virginia. The sheriff's office said the reported shot may have been fired by a hunter and is working to determine that.

Because of the incident, the nearby Sharon Dawes Elementary School was placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure. However, district school officials said the school has since been evacuated and is resuming normal operations.

The Kanawha County Sheriff's Office said deputies, West Virginia State Police and U.S. Marshals are currently on site.