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Man Opens Fire On Federal Building In West Virginia

Using an assault-type rifle, a man fired 15 to 20 shots at a federal building in Wheeling, W.Va. on Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Service tells the AP.

Authorities said the suspect was killed by police during the assault.

The wire service reports:

"Chief deputy Mike Claxton of the Marshals Service in northern West Virginia says one officer was hurt by shattered glass inside the courthouse during Wednesday's shooting but no other injuries were reported.

"Claxton says the gunman was in a parking lot across from the courthouse downtown. He says officials are attempting to determine a motive."

The Wheeling News-Register reports witnesses say the man also shot at the nearby Wheeling YWCA.

The paper quotes Carla Webb Daniels, who witnessed the incident from across the street, saying she witnessed a man pull out a weapon and start shooting.

"I was so nervous, I couldn't believe it," Daniels told the paper. "People were scared and were banging on the doors asking to be let in."

WTRF-TV has video of an interview with a witness:

Update at 7:12 p.m. ET. Suspect Was Former Police Officer:

Authoritiesidentified the alleged shooter as a former Wheeling police officer.

"A motive is not yet known, Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said at a 5:30 p.m. press conference," the Wheeling News-Register reports.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.