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Background: A section of the 700 block of Kanawha Avenue South in Nitro, West Virginia (Google Maps). Inset: Warren Bruce Crowder (West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation).
In a chilling incident from West Virginia, a 77-year-old man found himself at the center of a dramatic police intervention after reportedly trying to attack his wife with an ax and a gun. Authorities allege that Warren Bruce Crowder attempted to break down the bedroom door where his wife was desperately hiding, just feet away from potential harm.
Court records from Kanawha County reveal that Crowder faces serious charges, including attempted murder and four counts of wanton endangerment. He was taken into custody on Monday, adding a legal dimension to this harrowing domestic situation.
According to a criminal complaint highlighted by local CBS affiliate WOWK, the events unfolded in the early hours of Monday at the couple’s residence on Kanawha Avenue South in Nitro, located roughly 14 miles northwest of Charleston. Crowder allegedly armed himself following an argument with his wife, escalating the domestic dispute to dangerous levels.
In a state of fear, his wife retreated behind the locked bedroom door and dialed 911, explaining to the dispatcher that her husband was attempting to force his way in with an ax. This account was later corroborated by area ABC affiliate WCHS, which reported on the alarming situation.
When law enforcement officers arrived at the scene around 4 a.m., they observed the tense standoff through a bedroom window. Despite their attempts to communicate with Crowder, he allegedly refused to open the front door and was seen aggressively kicking at the bedroom door, where his wife was secured inside.
Crowder also shot through the bedroom door four times in an attempt to get inside, authorities said. After officers forced their way inside, the complaint says they found apparent bullet holes in the bedroom door and shrapnel inside the room.
The suspect was arrested, and the local outlets did not report any injuries to the wife.
As investigators spoke with Crowder, he reportedly confessed to shooting a gun through the bedroom door in an effort to get inside. He also allegedly admitted that he “was angry, knowing that she was hiding 3 or 4 feet in front of the door in a bed.”
Crowder is behind bars on a $50,000 cash bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 11.