Tiffany Clerenia Adkins, 42, was shot and killed shortly after midnight on May 27, 2025, outside a Sheetz in Charleston’s Kanawha City area. According to investigators, she had stopped at the gas pumps, exited her vehicle and was walking toward the store when a shot fired from a nearby car passed through the front windshield and struck her in the back of the head. Adkins collapsed in the parking lot and was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Police identified the vehicle’s occupant as 18-year-old Jacob Fields of Charleston. Fields initially told investigators the gun discharged accidentally while he was handling or wiping it in his parked car, and he was arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter and wanton endangerment. Review of surveillance footage, prosecutors say, showed Fields looking in Adkins’ direction, raising a Glock Model 20 Gen 5 10mm with both hands and firing as she moved into the path of the muzzle; police say Fields later acknowledged pointing the weapon after being shown the footage and the charge was upgraded to first-degree murder.

Fields remained the sole publicly identified suspect and was in custody as the case moved toward grand-jury proceedings. Adkins’ family described her as a beloved mother, sibling and friend whose death left an irreplaceable void and asked law enforcement to continue pursuing justice. If anyone saw the incident or has information about Adkins that could help the investigation, please come forward.