A series of Wednesday night shootings that left one person dead and three others injured in the vicinity of Mountaineer Park sparked a “shelter in place” order from police that led to the cancellation of races five through nine at the West Virginia racino.
Although the shootings occurred about eight miles south of Mountaineer in the town of New Cumberland, the gunman reportedly was on the move after killing one woman and then injuring two others in separate locations.
The rural nature of the terrain and the unknown whereabouts of the shooter caused police to issue lockdown orders for not only the racino, but also a nearby high school ball field where a game was in progress.
The first call about the shootings came in at about 7:40 p.m. Wednesday, WYTV reported. The Hancock County Sheriff's Office told the TV station that officers “trapped the driver in a location on Locust Hill Drive where there was an officer-involved shooting and the suspect was shot” but not fatally injured. The motive for the shootings was described as a “relationship” issue.
Mountaineer's fourth race went off at 8:18 p.m., but track officials called off the remainder of the card once the police warning went out. An “all clear” order was issued several hours later.
Mountaineer's announcer, Peter Berry, wrote on Twitter later in the evening that, “Mountaineer was always safe but there were concerns about the surrounding area.”
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