RIPLEY, W.Va. — A West Virginia man is accused of shooting his father in the face with a crossbow, authorities said.
According to West Virginia online court records, Chase Fleming, 35, of Gay, was arrested on March 17. He was charged with one count of malicious assault, court records show.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Magistrate Court, around 2 p.m. ET on March 16, Jackson County 911 received a call about a man being shot in the face at a residence in Kenna, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reported.
The caller, who identified herself as Fleming’s sister, said her brother and father were arguing over the telephone about a pistol that belonged to the victim, according to the newspaper.
The argument continued when Fleming arrived at the residence. According to the criminal complaint, Fleming entered the residence with a loaded crossbow and allegedly shot his father. the News and Sentinel reported.
“The son traveled to the father’s home and entered with this pre-loaded crossbow,” Jackson Sheriff Ross Mellinger told West Virginia Metro News. “Once he entered the residence, the argument continues and at some point he shouldered the weapon, fired, and struck the guy in the face.”
Mellinger added that the victim was struck just under his left eye and pierced through the back of his head.
“How the guy is still alive is beyond me, it’s really remarkable,” Mellinger told the news outlet.
Fleming offered to take his father an area hospital but his sister did not allow him to transport the victim,
Chase Fleming fled the area but was apprehended by authorities after he crashed his Ram Powerwagon pickup, West Virginia Metro News reported.
“He rolled his truck over a hillside just inside the Roane County line,” Mellinger told the news outlet. “We still had about 3 inches of snow up here. So, it wasn’t hard to track him but we had multiple K-9s and multiple drones up. We ended up covering about seven miles through the woods.”
Fleming was being held on a $250,000 bond, the News and Sentinel reported. The victim was in stable condition, Mellinger said.
© 2025 Cox Media Group
