Billy Eugene Wooten III, 25, was fatally shot in the backyard of a McKinney Street residence in Fairmont, West Virginia, on the morning of August 16, 2026. Fairmont police were called at about 8 a.m.; witnesses reported seeing a man running from the area and a silver vehicle speeding away. Authorities have not publicly explained what led to the violence or described any interaction between Wooten and the shooter before the gunfire.

Investigators pursued a lead after a silver vehicle reportedly similar to the one witnesses described crashed on Interstate 79 in neighboring Harrison County. A 23-year-old woman who had been driving and passenger Brandon Vaughn, 34, of Detroit, Michigan, were taken into custody following the crash. The woman faced drug charges but was not reported as charged in the killing.

Wooten was born November 10, 2000, in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Fairmont Senior High School. Family and an obituary recalled his enjoyment of bicycles, fishing, hunting, wrestling, music and demolition derbies, and noted plans for cremation and a Celebration of Life. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the lead investigator.