Deputy U.S. Marshal Gunned Down in West Virginia

[Pink.]

A deputy U.S. marshal who had been with the service for just over a year was fatally shot while serving an arrest warrant Wednesday morning in West Virginia, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Derek Hotsinpiller, 24, of Bridgeport, W.Va., was one of three deputies hit by a shotgun blast as they entered a residence in Elkins at about 8:30 a.m., said spokesman Jeff Carter. Hotsinpiller was airlifted to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, about 70 miles away, where he died, the Marshals Service said.

Hotsinpiller had been serving with the Northern District of West Virginia office in Clarksburg since his graduation from the U.S. Marshals Academy, Carter said.

The deputies, along with members of the West Virginia State Police and the Mountain State Fugitive Task Force, were serving an arrest warrant on Charles E. Smith, 50, who was wanted on a charge related to possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, as well as a felon in possession of a firearm charge, Carter said.

Smith and the officers exchanged fire after the initial shot, and Smith was killed, Carter said.

One deputy "continues to recover from his injuries," and the third has been treated at a nearby hospital and released, Carter added. The identities of the wounded deputies were not released.

"Every day, families of law enforcement officers live with the fact that their loved one may not return home following a shift of work, said Col. T.S. Pack, superintendent of the West Virginia State Police. "Today, we are experiencing that sad reality here in West Virginia."
The state police and the FBI and are investigating the shooting, Carter said.

The last U.S. marshal to die from gunfire occurred in Las Vegas on January 4, 2010, while the last marshal's death in the line of duty took place in Idaho nearly two decades earlier

[Faline]

so young

[dooshman]

Not too far from where I live. I tell ya, shit happens around here all the time.

[AmericanIllusions]

I can't feel bad or glad. Always mixed emotions on the death of "law enforcement". Sucks that he was so young though

Oh and we can chock up another death to the "war on drugs". Nice going guys

[d23623d]

After watching an endless stream of videos of police brutality I find it hard to scrounge up any sympathy.

[Amy]

Originally Posted by dooshman

Not too far from where I live. I tell ya, shit happens around here all the time.

You must be near me then. Elkins is the closest town to me. :) Still an hour out, but it is where I have to go to grocery shop and such.

I didn't even know it had happened yesterday until my boyfriend asked if it was all a buzz here. They really show lack of preparation for those kinds of incidents here. They had 2 deputies commandeer a federal suspect in my home town. Just went right to his known residence and asked him to come along. Not very smart since he was facing the same drug/weapons charges as this guy.

[TheHag]

So young and so sad.

Good thing the shooter was also killed. No tax money wasted on him being in jail for years.

[dooshman]

Originally Posted by AlmostHeaven

You must be near me then. Elkins is the closest town to me. :) Still an hour out, but it is where I have to go to grocery shop and such.

I didn't even know it had happened yesterday until my boyfriend asked if it was all a buzz here. They really show lack of preparation for those kinds of incidents here. They had 2 deputies commandeer a federal suspect in my home town. Just went right to his known residence and asked him to come along. Not very smart since he was facing the same drug/weapons charges as this guy.

It's a lot closer to you than it is to me. I live around the Silver Spring, MD area. On a good day traffic day, the incident is roughly an hours drive away. About two weeks ago it was the bank robber that was shot to death by the cops.

I learned about the police shooting on Yahoo news.