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Background: The Tygart Valley Regional Jail in Belington, West Virginia (Tygart Valley Regional Jail). Insets (from left to right): Derek Arbogast and Larry Talkington (West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation).
Two individuals are currently incarcerated following a violent incident in which one man allegedly shot his brother and then enlisted the second suspect to prevent the victim from fleeing, only to shoot him again, as reported by West Virginia authorities.
Derek Arbogast, aged 36, and Larry Talkington, 62, are facing charges of first-degree attempted murder, according to a news release by the West Virginia State Police shared with Law&Crime. The pair were taken into custody and placed in jail on Friday.
The incident unfolded on Thursday around 9 p.m. at a residence on Mule Hollow Road in Montrose, a small Randolph County town centrally located in the state. Authorities state that Arbogast’s 31-year-old brother was also at the scene.
As per the allegations, Arbogast shot his brother multiple times using a .22 caliber revolver. Despite the severity of his injuries, the brother survived, with troopers claiming that Talkington intervened by restraining him and dragging him back inside the house to thwart his escape.
Once the victim was back indoors, Arbogast is accused of shooting him again.
At about 9:15 p.m., authorities were called about a shooting at the home, and Arbogast was reported to them as the shooter, area CBS affiliate WDTV reported. As officers got close, they noticed a man walking on the road, and he identified himself as Arbogast and allegedly declared that he “wanted everything to be over with.”
He was arrested, and after first responders reached the home, Arbogast’s brother was flown about 60 miles north to a hospital for treatment.
Authorities investigated and were able to speak with the shooting victim, who reportedly told them he was standing near a wood stove in the home when his brother walked in and shot him “point blank in the head.” A fight between the two broke out before Talkington allegedly helped Arbogast.
When officers spoke further with Arbogast, he is said to have asked them whether his brother was OK.
“No, you shot him five times,” a trooper replied, according to local ABC affiliate WBOY.
“I know it was a .22 but being that close, I thought one would do it,” Arbogast allegedly responded.
Both suspects were placed in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on their attempted murder charge. The current status of the shooting victim is unclear.