Sandy MaloneElkins, WV – A man who shot an Elkins police officer on Thursday has been charged with attempted murder.
The incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. on March 26 when Elkins Police Senior Patrolman Daniel Sayre responded to a call about a man with a rifle in the alley connecting First and Second Streets behind the Jennings Randolph Federal Building, WCHS reported.
Officers ordered 46-year-old Jerry Lee Isner to put his gun down, but he refused to comply with commands.
So the officers deployed a Taser, WCHS reported.
Isner opened fire and shot Patrolman Sayre twice, once in the left calf and once in the right shoulder/bicep area, WBOY reported.
Officers could not return fire because there were innocent civilians in the area, WCHS reported.
Patrolman Sayre was airlifted to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown and treated for his gunshot wounds, WDTV reported.
He has since been released from the hospital to convalesce at home, according to WCHS.
Patrolman Sayre has been a member of the Elkins police force since 2015, WDTV reported.
“I would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance with this incident: West Virginia State Police, Randolph County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. ATF, Randolph County EMS, Elkins Fire Department, and HealthNet AeroMedical Services,” Elkins Police Chief Travis Bennett said. “I would also like to thank the citizens of Elkins for the outpouring of support for Senior Patrolman Sayre and the Elkins Police Department.”
The complaint said that officers recovered Isner’s black Mossburg 702 Plinkster .22 caliber rifle and two spent shell casings at the scene, as well as a .22 caliber shell casing which was jammed the rifle, WBOY reported.
Isner was arrested and charged with malicious wounding and attempted murder.
He was held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond, WCHS reported.