Walter Webster Elmore II, a 42-year-old Black man, died after an early-morning shooting in Logan County, West Virginia, on October 13, 2024. What first looked like a single-vehicle crash along WV Route 17 in the Ethel area became a homicide investigation when responders learned the driver had a gunshot wound to the stomach or abdominal area. Trooper Z.K. Bragg and other first responders took Elmore to Logan Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. Investigators determined the shooting occurred at a nearby residence, not at the crash site.

State police identified 23-year-old Darius James Stanton of Columbus, Ohio, as the suspect. Authorities say Stanton shot Elmore at the residence, and troopers executed a search warrant and developed Stanton as the suspect. Stanton was located after a traffic stop on Pond Fork Road in Boone County, arrested, processed at the West Virginia State Police Logan Detachment, and taken to Southwestern Regional Jail. Reports released so far say he was charged with first-degree murder and being held without bail pending trial. Some details of the investigation remain unclear.

If anyone in the Ethel or Route 17 area on October 13 remembers seeing activity or vehicles linked to this case, please share what is known with investigators.