A Nitro police officer shot and severely injured a South Charleston man in the early morning hours Wednesday, police say.
The man, Mickey Davis, 28, allegedly tried to hit the officer with his sedan, according to a release from the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office.
Davis was in the intensive care unit at Charleston Area Medical Center's General Hospital on Wednesday. Police said his injuries were not believed to be life threatening.
Davis allegedly refused to stop for a traffic stop over a defective headlight at about 1 a.m.
He did not stop until reaching townhouses on Easter Road near 31st Street in Nitro, the release says.
Once stopped, Davis allegedly tried to hit Sgt. Justin Raynes with his sedan, and the officer then fired his pistol, striking Davis several times.
Neither Raynes nor a woman in Davis' car, Tia Streater, was injured. Streater, 25, of Charleston, was charged with possession of a controlled substance after the incident.
The Kanawha County Sheriff's Office is conducting the investigation at the request of Nitro police.
Detectives were combing the scene Wednesday morning for evidence.
Kanawha County Chief Deputy Mike Rutherford said Don Morris, Kanawha County first assistant prosecutor, was also on scene.
"We've been working very closely with the prosecutor's office and Nitro police department and trying to unravel all the information," Rutherford said. "Really all I can tell you right now is it's still under investigation and it's probably going to take awhile to get all the facts lined out."
Kanawha Sheriff's Sgt. Brian Humphreys said the prosecutor's office would review the case at the conclusion of the investigation.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Nitro Police Chief Steve Walker identified Raynes as the officer who shot Davis. Raynes, 27, has been with the Nitro department for five years, Walker said.
Raynes was placed on administrative leave immediately after the shooting, but in a statement sent to media at 4:30 p.m., Walker said Raynes had been "cleared to return to work by a licensed psychologist."
Police have not announced whether Davis will face any charges upon his release from the hospital, but noted in a news release that the vehicle was improperly registered and not on file with the DMV.
Nitro police shot and killed a man in August after he allegedly shot at an officer. Police were dispatched to a domestic violence call on Aug. 1 on the 1000 block of Main Avenue, then found the man at the Nitro boat ramp.
Humphreys said Raynes was not involved in that incident.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.