Upshur Comm Center: No active shooter in Tallmansville area Wednesday

TENNERTON – Social media posts warning of an active shooter in the Tennerton and Tallmansville areas late Wednesday afternoon are false, according to an official with the Upshur County E911 Communication Center.

Kimbra Wachob, assistant Comm Center director, said Wednesday evening there had been no active shooter in the area, noting a Facebook post that claimed an active shooter was in the area simply weren’t correct.

“There was no active shooter,” Wachob said. “There was an incident, but it got blown way out of proportion on Facebook.”

According to scanner traffic, all three law enforcement agencies in the county – the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department, Buckhannon Police Department and Buckhannon detachment of the West Virginia State Police – set up a staging area at the Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School bus garage in Tennerton.

Chief Deputy Mike Kelley with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department is the lead investigator but went off-duty before releasing a statement on the nature of the incident. Chief Matt Gregory with the Buckhannon Police Department told My Buckhannon he was unable to comment on the situation because the BPD was assisting the sheriff’s department.

Scanner traffic indicated there may have been a second staging area set up at the Tennerton PSD on Tallmansville Road, and at least two residences – one of which was a trailer – were searched and deemed “clear” by law enforcement.

At one point, four Upshur EMS ambulances were parked at the middle school bus garage, and a section of the Tallmansville Road was temporarily shut down but subsequently reopened.

Officials with the Upshur County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management also responded to the scene.

The situation was under control by 5:15 p.m., according to scanner traffic.

Will be updated as more information becomes available …