Saint Albans, WV- On Saturday, May 13, 2023, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to investigate a shooting incident in the 600 block of Walden Lane in the Saint Albans area. Metro 911 Operators took a call from a frantic female stating her husband had accidently shot himself.
Multiple Kanawha County Deputies arrived on scene and found the victim lying on the floor with a single gunshot wound to the right side of his abdomen. Deputies attempted lifesaving measures until medics arrived; however, the victim, 53-year-old Steven Lee Loftis of Saint Albans had succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Investigators with Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Section responded to the scene and detectives concluded that the shooting was a result of unsafe mishandling of a firearm. The weapon was carelessly stored in the victim’s pants pocket and not properly secured in a holster. When the weapon was discharged the fired round struck the victim in the abdomen, resulting in a fatal injury. Although the events surrounding this incident did not render anything suspicious in nature, the West Virginia State Medical Examiner will still review this case as a standard procedure.
Should you have any information regarding this case, please contact Deputy K.B. Eskew at Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, 304-357-0169 or submit a “tip” at www.kanawhasheriff.us under the “Tips” tab.
Post expires at 11:43am on Wednesday November 15th, 2023