PRINCETON — Two people are dead and two are in critical condition after a shooting near Bluefield on Wednesday, the West Virginia State Police said in a press release Thursday morning.
“On December 6, 2023, at approximately 2:56 p.m., troopers with the Princeton Detachment were dispatched by Mercer 911 to 261 Ceres Hollow Road, Bluefield, W.Va., in response to a male suspect at the residence holding several subjects at gunpoint,” the release reads. “At 3:05 p.m., troopers arrived at the residence and discovered a white male and white female suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and body. Troopers made entry into the residence and discovered a black female 11-year-old juvenile to be deceased from a gunshot wound and a black male to be deceased from a gunshot wound.”
Police say they believe the shooter took his own life.
“After further investigation, it was discovered that the black male, identified as Kenneth Smith, was the shooter in this incident and had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the release notes. “The wounded subjects were immediately given medical care by troopers on scene and transported to Princeton Community Hospital and then to Roanoke Memorial in critical condition.”
The shooting remains under investigation.
“West Virginia State Police Crime Scene was contacted to assist with the scene investigation,” according to the release. “Troopers C.W. Havens and D.A. Miller will be conducting the investigation.”
