At approximately 4:53 a.m. on April 10, 2020, officers of the Morgantown Police Department responded to a report of shots fired in the 700-block area of Park Street. A concerned citizen reported that a car was speeding away from the scene headed towards Morgantown High School.
Officers in the area observed the car and conducted a traffic stop. During the traffic stop they encountered Gregory STUMP, 50 years of age of Moorefield, WV. During the stop, officers were able to verify that he was involved in a shooting altercation on the 700 block of Grand Street. Officers recovered a firearm from STUMP.
Officers responding to the area were able to determine the location of the shooting and identified Dusti AKERS, 31 years of age of 797 Grand Street, Morgantown as being the other party involved in the shooting.
The investigation at this point has revealed that STUMP traveled to Morgantown to meet AKER’s sister to purchase drugs. STUMP provided money for the purchase of drugs and the sister went inside the house and did not provide the drugs as promised. Dusti AKERS then confronted STUMP armed with a semi-automatic pistol and fired one shot into STUMP’s car. STUMP fired one shot in return fire an fled the scene where he was stopped by officers in the area.
The investigation continued and resulted in a search warrant being served on the residence at 797 Grand Street and on the 2005 Infinity operated by STUMP. Officers recovered 2 semi-automatic pistols and small amounts of cocaine and marijuana.
STUMP and AKERS were both arrested and charged with Wanton Endangerment and were arraigned on April 10, 2020. During the arrest, officers discovered that AKERS was recently exposed to someone in her family that was diagnosed with COVID-19. Officers responding to an emergency, in progress call, were not wearing their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and were possibly exposed to COVID-19 as a result of their close contact with the suspects.
The Monongalia County Health Department was notified of the potential exposures. All the officers involved were immediately isolated and their uniforms and equipment decontaminated. The officers were removed from duty pending testing results. All prisoner processing areas, vehicles and anywhere there was a potential for contact was sanitized.
The Monongalia County Health Department responded to the Monongalia County Prisoner Processing Center and collected specimens for testing. The specimens were sent to West Virginia University Medicine for testing. On Saturday evening the test results came back as negative.
All the officers have been returned to duty. The incident is still pending further investigation and additional charges are pending.