Landis Mitchell Govan, a 19-year-old Black male from the Martinsburg area, was fatally wounded in an early-morning shooting in Berkeley County on June 17, 2025. Deputies responded shortly after 3 a.m. to Rutter’s gas station on Hedgesville Road and found Govan with a gunshot wound; he was transported to Berkeley Medical Center with critical injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital on June 22. His family said he was taken off life support and donated his organs; his obituary lists June 25 as his date of death.

Investigators say Govan and Elias Michael Jenkins knew one another and were traveling with others when a verbal dispute involving Govan and his girlfriend occurred. Authorities allege Jenkins confronted Govan, fired a gun, and struck him in the head while five people were in the vehicle; wanton-endangerment counts were added because of the other occupants. Jenkins was arrested at the scene, initially held on attempted-murder charges, and after Govan’s death the case was refiled as murder.

Govan’s family described him as the oldest of seven brothers who loved music, basketball, singing, and dancing and was devoted to his younger brothers. If anyone knew Landis Mitchell Govan, his activities, or witnessed the events that night, please come forward with information.