Police say that a man shot and killed by officers in Roane County did not fire shots in Wood County earlier that day, or at police in Roane County, as was previously reported. Bernard Cottrell, 65, of Reedy, was shot after police learned the family was obtaining a mental hygiene petition for the man.
Both a Roane County sheriff's deputy and a State Police trooper opened fire, according to Lt. Michael Baylous, spokesman for the State Police.
In a news release late Wednesday night, Baylous said that Cottrell brandished and fired a gun at a relative's home in Mineral Wells earlier in the day, then fled.
Since then, Wood County Chief Deputy M.F. Smith and an employee of Wood County 911 have said that no shots were fired in Wood County.
Smith said that callers to 911 reported that Cottrell had shown up at the Mineral Wells home and brandished a gun, but that Cottrell left before police arrived. He said no one reported that the gun was fired, and no evidence of a gun being fired was found.
Also this week, an employee at the Wood County 911 center, who would not give his name, said there were no reports of gunshots that day.
After the Wood County incident, police issued a notice that other officers should be on the lookout for Cottrell.
A family member also told a Roane County sheriff's deputy that a family member of Cottrell was working on getting a mental hygiene petition for Cottrell in Roane County, "due to the fact that he was a threat to himself and others," Baylous said in the release.
While on patrol, a deputy and a trooper saw Cottrell driving south on W.Va. 14 near Spencer. They pursued the vehicle and tried to make a traffic stop.
The pursuit ended at Randolph Road sometime between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Cottrell allegedly pointed his gun at police. The officers fired at Cottrell, killing him.
Wednesday evening, Baylous told the Gazette-Mail that Cottrell had fired at the officers. A news release later that night said only that Cottrell had "pointed a firearm at the officers."
Friday, Baylous confirmed that Cottrell had not fired shots at the officers.
Baylous noted that he told reporters at the time some of his information was "preliminary" and cell phone service in Roane County was spotty. He said Friday that he had been relying on media reports and "word of mouth." He would not release additional information on the incident, and denied a reporter's request to speak to police more closely connected to the incident.
Police with the Roane County Sheriff's Office and the State Police detachment in Spencer have not returned calls.
"I don't know what other questions you could possibly have," Baylous said in a phone message Friday.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.