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VIENNA - Two Wood County men have been charged with wanton endangerment following a Sunday evening incident on Grand Central Avenue in which two people - including one of the suspects - suffered gunshot wounds.
According to a release from Vienna Police Chief Josh Cole, Ashton Elschlager, 20, of Walker is in custody at the Wood County Holding Center and Jacob Thomas, 19, of Waverly is being held at the Washington County Jail.
Elschlager is being held on a $300,000 cash bond, according to magistrate records. Thomas is being held without bond on a fugitive from justice warrant, according to the Washington County Jail website.
Officers responded around 8:14 p.m. Sunday to the 100 block of Grand Central Avenue for a report of shots fired involving two northbound vehicles, the release said. The preliminary investigation determined occupants of both vehicles exchanged gunfire.
Cole said the individuals were known to each other and the incident arose out of an ongoing dispute.
"It's definitely not a random road rage incident," he said.
Elschlager was charged last week with brandishing a deadly weapon, an incident Cole said involved a relative of Thomas. Magistrate records show Elschlager was also charged with obstruction and persons prohibited from possessing firearms counts in that instance and was released on a $5,000 bond.
Elschlager and a woman in his car "sustained serious life-threatening injuries," the release said. Both were taken to WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. While Elschlager has since been released and is at the holding center, the woman was taken to WVU Medicine Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown for additional treatment, Cole said.
Her name was not included in the release.
The release said Elschlager was identified as one of the individuals involved in the exchange of gunfire, while witness information identified the second shooter as Thomas.
Thomas fled the scene while continuing north on Grand Central, the release said. With assistance from the Wood County Sheriff's Office, his vehicle was observed crossing the Williamstown Bridge. That information was relayed to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, whose deputies stopped the vehicle on Third Street in Marietta, Sheriff Mark Warden said.
鈥淲e held them until the Vienna Police Department could come over and do their interviews," he said.
After interviewing both suspects and other witnesses, officers determined Elschlager and Thomas "recklessly exchanged gunfire while traveling on a public roadway, placing numerous motorists and bystanders at risk of serious injury or death," the release said.
There were two other people in the vehicle with Elschlager, a driver and a juvenile, neither of whom has been charged in relation to the incident, Cole said.
The investigation is ongoing, and the Vienna Police Department asked anyone with additional information to contact its office.
Vienna Police thanked the Wood and Washington County sheriff's offices, Parkersburg and Williamstown police departments and West Virginia State Police for their assistance.
"This case highlights the value of strong communication and cooperation between our law enforcement agencies," the release said.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.