A terrifying early-morning attack in West Virginia has left a community shaken after police say a man tried to break into his wife’s bedroom with an axe, fired multiple gunshots through the door, and allegedly attempted to set the house on fire.
According to a criminal complaint, officers were dispatched just after 4 a.m. on Monday, February 2, to a home in the 700 block of Kanawha Avenue South in Nitro. A woman inside the home called 911 in fear, telling dispatchers her husband, Warren Crowder, 77, was trying to break down the bedroom door with an axe.
The caller also reported smelling smoke and believed her husband was deliberately trying to start a fire inside the house, according to the complaint.
When officers arrived, they reportedly saw the woman through a bedroom window, hiding inside, while Crowder was actively attempting to kick the door in. Police say Crowder refused to open the front door for officers, forcing them to make entry into the home.
What they learned next was even more disturbing.
According to the complaint, Crowder admitted to firing a .357 Magnum multiple times through the bedroom door in an effort to reach his wife, who was hiding just feet away on the bed.
“Multiple gunshots were observed embedded in the bedroom door,” officers noted.
Investigators recovered shrapnel from inside the bedroom and near the doorway, along with six .357 Magnum rounds. Police also documented four bullet holes in the bedroom door.
During an interview with officers, Crowder allegedly confessed to shooting through the door out of anger, despite knowing his wife was positioned only three to four feet away on the other side.
Crowder was taken into custody on February 2 and is currently being held at the South Central Regional Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
In addition to the attempted murder charge, he is also facing four counts of wanton endangerment involving a firearm related to the same incident.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 11. A defense attorney could not be reached for comment.
Authorities have not released further details about the victim’s condition, but police say the woman was able to escape without being physically injured.
Is he demented