Beech Fork Murder- Shooting Range Survival

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hollowdweller

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Sep 22, 2003
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While not strictly wilderness survival related I thought I might mention this story.

Recently a minister who enjoyed the outdoors was found murdered at a local shooting range in Beech Fork State Park, which is near Wayne WV.

According to the news broadcast in the recent past several shooters at the range while shooting alone had come back from changing targets to find their guns stolen off the shooting table. The woods is fairly near the range.

Hard to say what happened maybe this guy turned around and could ID them but I was suprised they actually shot him in the head so I thought they might have some practice shooting.

Ends up 2 AWOL soldiers allegedly did him in, at this point they aren't saying whether they were responsible for the other thefts or not:confused:

Anyway a good idea if you are shooting at an isolated range might be good to bring your gun or ammo with you to change the targets.

WAYNE — Two men from out-of-state told another person Sunday they had shot and killed the Rev. Mark McCalla, according to criminal complaints filed in Wayne County Magistrate Court.

The fugitives are Stephen C. Wilson, 19, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Daniel R. Smith, 22, of Newport News, Va. Both are charged with first-degree murder. Most recently the two were stationed at Fort Drum in New York, but left in recent months, said Wayne County Sheriff David Pennington and Sgt. Travis Williamson.

Both men are considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information about their whereabouts should call 911.
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I heard on the radio last night that when they found out the law was closing in on them they fled the house carrying 2 assault rifles.
 
Never shoot alone, always go armed. I have always felt that I am most vulnerable when going to and from the range. Someone can know just enough to think they have the drop on you. This might also better go in Prac Tac, but I understand it being here. I have always looked on my carrying any weapon as more of a survival/preparedness issue than anything else.
 
Strange story, whats a minister doing on a range, did he forget the story of the other cheek. :eek:

Jokes aside, I always keep my gun loaded, where else can you get guns & ammo so easily.
 
I have never liked walking down range (rifle) at public ranges. Just WAY too much opportunity for something to go wrong. I always pack a sidearm, but not much good when you are 100 yards downrange. I belong to a club now.....
 
They will find these vermin. When they do, they will not only be tried in Criminal Court, and sentenced there, they will also find out just how "nice" it is to stand before a Military Judge and also get sentenced in a Military Court. They would be better off to use those two "assault rifles" on each other and spare the taxpayers the time and trouble. They're walking dead men anyway. Or better yet, catch them and send them over here to Iraq. I am sure the Army can find a "use" for them here...maybe walking the roads to find IEDs. Might not be a bad idea...save the good troops the trouble and danger.

Ron (21 year military veteran)
 
Wow. I grew up within a mile or two of all the places mentioned.

The place where they were arrested, "Idle Acres", is a welfare colony that was built about a decade ago. How things have changed.
 
bodhi_ said:
Strange story, whats a minister doing on a range, did he forget the story of the other cheek. :eek:

Jokes aside, I always keep my gun loaded, where else can you get guns & ammo so easily.
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As a fellow minister I resemble that. I'll leave the thoeological debate for elsewhere though. Don't mistake "pastor" for "pacifist".

When I shoot at the stripmine I take my AK with me downrange to set the bowling pins up again. I have thought about this before. IIRC the Mini-14 used in the Miami FBI shootout was taken from a guy shooting at an informal rural range. Mac
 
I don't see anything contradictory about a minister who liked shooting. Supposedly he chose WV because he was an outdoors sort of guy.

Jesus dug fishing himself:thumbup:
 
The guy who taught me pistol shooting was a priest. A really-good counselor, too. Tough-minded, gave you the advice you really NEEDED to hear, instead of just what he thought you wanted. I benefited greatly from his counsel. And also from his shooting knowledge.

He was ex-USMC Recon, with serious combat experience in and around Vietnam. After that, he was a US Border Patrol agent--again, lots of combat experience; decorated for valor. Several nasty scars here and there. Got shot with a .357 and left for dead by some smugglers years back; crawled back to his ride, radioed for help, and made it to the hospital. Forgave his attackers, and decided to stop running from what he'd long perceived was a call to ordained ministry. Ran a small church in a really-bad part of town. A great guy.
 
Neomaz,what's a welfare colony?
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Public housing. We also used to call it The Hatchery. Oddly enough, they seemed to have more money than those of us who grew up there. My family was always tight, poor by most standards. My best friend was "PO" even for a hillbilly. But the kids that grew up on the ridge were woods rats who never got into any trouble. The neighborhood took a decidedly downward turn once the real white trash moved in. There have been crimes of all sorts out of that place. Now that I think about it, it has been closer to two decades since that was built.

I always thought that "Idle Acres" was an appropriate name for the place.
 
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I Never go to open unsupervised public ranges!!! Too many idiots with high power or semi-auto military type arms. Blasting, shooting off whole magazines, under the influence and other bad habits. I belong to a club or will go to a club with a friend. A couple on gun shops here have suprervised ranges which are safe. I am also luckey enough to live out in the country where I can shoot all I want.
 
hollowdweller said:
I don't see anything contradictory about a minister who liked shooting. Supposedly he chose WV because he was an outdoors sort of guy.

Jesus dug fishing himself:thumbup:
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Yay!!! Logic prevails!!! I, too work in ministry as Pict does, though in a different capacity, and I carry when I can...
 
Neomaz,is public housing cheap or free? or subsidised? I am not sure I am grasping the concept. Is it part of a larger community or just plunked down in the middle of nowhere? Are there stores to go with it or just housing? Is this what they call "the projects" on TVV all the time?
 
Years ago a coworker and I took our sons, then about age 12, shooting. Turned out that the place the co-worker took us was a very large area of abandoned strip pits near Birmingham. While we were shooting, an old station wagon with three guys in it appeared on the pit rim above us and then proceeded down to where we were. I thought it unusual that someone would drive up on another shooting party like that. The guys got out and immediately started asking about our guns, what we had with us and what we were shooting.
My coworker was at the time getting ready to shoot a recently acquired AK-47. One of the guys asked if he could shoot it, and the coworker proceeded to hand a guy he had never seen before his fully loaded AK! I couldn't believe it!

Being a more suspicious type, I suppose, I kept my loaded Ruger .44 mag carbine at hand and moved to a strategic position sitting on the hood of my car, to the right rear of the strangers with my party out of my potential line of fire. They eyeballed me, but did not ask to shoot my carbine, which I would have refused to relenquish anyway.

Nothing came of it, they left shortly thereafter. To this day I don't know if they had mischief in mind or not. I wonder if they ever tell a story of encountering an apparent nut with a .44 mag carbine?:D
 
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