HUNTINGTON -- A 19-year-old from Huntington died Monday, almost 24 hours after police say he was involved in a shootout with Marshall University police.
Rashuwn Jerrell Harless died midday Monday at Cabell Huntington Hospital, a nursing supervisor said. He had received an apparent gunshot wound to the head. He had exchanged gunfire with police Sunday evening, according to Huntington Police Chief Skip Holbrook.
The shooting occurred two days after Harless was released from the Western Regional Jail, according to the jail records. He had been incarcerated on charges related to a citywide drug warrant sweep last week.
It is the fourth police-involved shooting in the past year in Huntington. The most recent incident occurred off campus, and the victim was not a student at Marshall University.
The shooting came after customers at a nearby gasoline station alerted the Marshall University Police Department Sunday afternoon that a man had a handgun.
University and city police officers located the man and identified him as Harless. He was carrying a handgun at 4:43 p.m.
Officers said they chased the assailant south on 15th Street toward the railroad tracks, where he took cover behind a trash receptacle. He started firing gunshots at police, Holbrook said, and Marshall University police officers returned gunfire.
The city's SWAT team used ballistic shields to approach Harless and prepare him for transportation to Cabell Huntington Hospital, where he underwent surgery.
Huntington police are investigating the incident. Harless' family said his actions were unusual and not his nature, according to Holbrook. The inquiry will look into his motive and state of mind, along with determining whose gun fired the fatal gunshot.
Holbrook said there is nothing to indicate the wound was self-inflicted, but he said the investigation is part of protocol. It will include a autopsy at the state Medical Examiner's Office.
"There were multiple shots fired and there was a lull in fire," he said. "It's just one of those things you want to be sure of. We don't want to jump to a conclusion that an officer fired a fatal round, and then come to find out it was self-inflicted or an accidental discharge."
Both officers were placed on paid administrative leave. The university will not release their names until an administrative review is conducted, Marshall University Chief of Staff Bill Bissett said.
"This is a very, very uncommon incident at Marshall University," he said. "It's a matter that we're reviewing closely, and at this point we're just waiting for the investigation to be concluded."
Bissett discussed the matter with Marshall Police Chief Jim Terry. He said it is the first time they are aware of in the past 20 years that a university police officer used deadly force.
Bissett was quick to stress the shooting occurred off campus, but he said it was within the department's jurisdiction. The boundaries include the Huntington campus, the president's residence, the medicine school and other university facilities, along with all adjacent areas.
"These are sworn police officers, and in regards to public safety they are expected to respond," he said.
According to court documents, Harless was arrested Wednesday in the 800 block of 20th Street during a citywide drug warrant sweep. He was charged with possessing with intent to deliver counterfeit crack cocaine.
The misdemeanor charge resulted in Cabell County Magistrate Darrell Black setting a $5,000 bond Wednesday. Harless was released from two days later after someone met the financial requirement.
Holbrook said the bond is consistent to the amount set for others charged with the same crime.
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