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 men are behind bars after one of them shot his own brother and then used the other suspect”s help to restrain the victim and shoot him again, West Virginia authorities say.
Derek Arbogast, 36, and Larry Talkington, 62, stand charged with attempted murder in the first degree, West Virginia State Police said in a press release sent to Law&Crime. Both men were booked into jail on Friday.
On Thursday sometime around 9 p.m., Arbogast and Talkington were at a home on Mule Hollow Road in Montrose, a small town in Randolph County, located in the middle of the state. Arbogast’s 31-year-old brother was also present, according to authorities.
Arbogast shot his brother “multiple times with a .22 caliber revolver,” the press release alleges. But the shooting victim did not die, with troopers contending that Talkington “restrained” his brother and “dragged him back into the residence to prevent him from leaving.”
Once his brother was back inside, Arbogast allegedly shot 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.
