Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Mark Edward Danley
Age : 52
Gender : Male
Race : White
Date : 09/03/2021
Location : 768 Old Route 33
City : Weston
County : Lewis
State : West Virginia
Agency : Weston Police Department, Lewis County Sheriff's Office, West Virginia State Police
Officer(s) :Cpl. Moore; Deputy Shipman
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during armed confrontation
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 09/03/2021, 53-year-old Mark Edward Danley was shot and killed by police near Berlin Road and Old Route 33 in Weston following an alleged armed robbery, vehicle pursuit and confrontation with police.
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At approximately 10 a.m., police alleged that Danley entered Christine’s Hot Spot Lounge on U.S. 33 in Weston, displayed a firearm at a female employee and took cash. West Virginia State Police Cpl. Moore initially responded to the robbery report. Weston Police Chief J.P. Thomas subsequently located Danley’s vehicle and attempted a traffic stop.
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Police said Danley rammed Thomas’s police cruiser with his truck and continued driving away. West Virginia State Police and Lewis County sheriff’s deputies pursued him through Jane Lew and Hacker’s Creek. Officers deployed vehicle-disabling equipment, stopping Danley’s vehicle at Berlin Road and Old Route 33.
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Danley then ran into a neighborhood behind the Weston Walmart and Sheetz. Police alleged that he approached a man riding a lawn mower and attempted to take him hostage. The man fought back. Police said Danley was armed with a .38-caliber revolver and continued waving the firearm while officers confronted him.
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West Virginia State Police Sgt. J.R. Wince identified Cpl. Moore and Lewis County Sheriff’s Deputy Shipman as the officers confronting Danley immediately before the shooting. Danley was reportedly only a few feet from the civilian he allegedly attempted to take hostage when police shot and killed him. Contemporary reporting did not specify which officer fired the fatal shot or whether both Moore and Shipman fired.
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West Virginia Division of Natural Resources police also participated in the response. Upshur County deputies were positioned with stop sticks near the Lewis-Upshur County line but did not encounter Danley because the pursuit ended before reaching their positions.
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West Virginia State Police said investigators found no indication that Danley had a prior criminal history and had not established a motive for the robbery and subsequent events.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
West Virginia State Police Cpl. Moore and Lewis County Sheriff’s Deputy Shipman were publicly identified as the officers confronting Danley when he was killed.
