On the evening of Saturday, July 1, 2017, 45-year-old Randall Leon Lockhart was shot to death at a residence on Little Kanawha Parkway in the Burning Springs area of Wirt County, West Virginia. State police said the shooting, reported about 5:00 p.m., left Lockhart with multiple gunshot wounds. Initial reporting identified the person who fired as Bill Sampson; Sampson and his family said Lockhart had made repeated threats against them and that Sampson felt threatened on the day of the shooting.

Sampson cooperated with investigators and no immediate charges were filed while the Wirt County prosecutor asked for a full investigation before any charging decision. Lockhart’s family disputed the shooter’s account, with one daughter noting the property did not belong to the Sampsons, and a former partner called the event a horrifying massacre and suggested others with criminal histories were involved. Early reports did not say whether Lockhart was armed when he was killed.

Did anyone in the Burning Springs area witness what happened that afternoon or have further information about the property and those present?