James Ellis Fitzpatrick, a 26-year-old White man from Fort Gay, West Virginia, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of January 19, 2021. Wayne County deputies responded to a call around 4 a.m. on Webb Cemetery Road and found Fitzpatrick with a gunshot wound; Sheriff Rick Thompson confirmed he died at the scene.

Obituaries published afterward noted personal background but did not describe the incident. No suspects or arrests were publicly identified in the immediate aftermath, and authorities described the investigation as ongoing.

Who knew James or was in the Webb Cemetery Road area the morning of January 19, 2021?