Dennis Lee Adkins, 52, of Beckley, West Virginia, was shot and killed inside a residence late on July 6, 2025. The shooting followed a day in which Dennis and his brother, Ralph Williams Adkins, reportedly had a physical altercation while both men were intoxicated. The confrontation had apparently calmed earlier, and the brothers were together in the home when Ralph obtained a handgun and fired one shot while Dennis sat on a couch rolling a cigarette. Their mother, Norma Adkins, was sitting nearby in a recliner and called authorities after witnessing the shooting.

When police entered the home they found Dennis slumped on the couch, bleeding from a gunshot wound to his head or face; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators recovered a handgun described in a more detailed report as a .22-caliber RG Model 14S revolver with two spent cartridges and four live rounds. Ralph was taken to the state police detachment, read his Miranda rights, and reportedly admitted to shooting his brother; he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and held without bond. Dennis’s obituary confirms his death on July 6, 2025, and lists Ralph as his brother; Dennis is also survived by children and grandchildren.

Does anyone in the Beckley area have information about the events that led to this shooting or knew Dennis and his family?