Eric Bennett Sammons, 51, was killed on October 7, 2021, after a violent confrontation on a Mingo County roadway in Williamson, West Virginia. Authorities say the incident began around 2 p.m. near the intersection of U.S. Route 119 and U.S. Route 52 when Sammons, driving a red Chevrolet Cruze, pulled in front of a northbound tractor-trailer driven by 66-year-old James Blaine Armstrong and blocked its progress. The complaint describes Sammons exiting his vehicle, approaching the driver’s side of the semi while yelling, and opening the truck door. Armstrong reportedly produced a .380 Ruger handgun and fired one shot that struck Sammons in the upper chest; Sammons died at the scene.

Williamson police arrested Armstrong and charged him with second-degree murder; a magistrate found probable cause to send the charge to a grand jury. The defense has argued the shooting was self-defense and raised a Castle Doctrine theory tied to the sleeper-equipped semi. Sammons was a lifelong Williamson resident and heavy equipment operator remembered for his love of the outdoors and working on his Jeep.

Does anyone have information about the moments leading up to the confrontation or witnesses who were on that stretch of Route 119 on October 7, 2021?