Man killed by police terrorized residents

Jul. 8—The West Virginia State Police have identified the man who was shot and killed Wednesday in Beckley by law enforcement after leading them on a chase through Raleigh and Fayette counties where he terrorized residents at gunpoint.

The suspect has been identified as Matthew Scott Jones, 36, of Culpeper, Virginia, according to a news release issued Thursday afternoon by Captain R.A. Maddy, deputy chief of staff for the West Virginia State Police.

A newspaper from the Culpeper area reported last year that Jones had previous felony convictions including breaking and entering.

Late Wednesday evening Maddy issued his first press release regarding the incident which detailed Jones' movements prior to his fatal confrontation with law enforcement officials on Robert C. Byrd Drive near Crossroads Mall.

According to the release, calls were made to law enforcement at about 9:47 a.m. Wednesday reporting an armed suspect fleeing a crash scene near Dry Hill Road in Raleigh County.

Jones then reportedly stole a blue pickup truck and fled in an unknown direction.

A short time later, the release stated, Jones was located at Big Lots near the Crossroads Mall in the stolen truck.

Jones refused to stop for officers and a pursuit ensued leading into Fayette County and back into the Bradley area of Raleigh County. The pursuit ended when the vehicle became disabled off of Route 19 in Bradley, the release stated.

Jones, who was armed, then exited the vehicle and was engaged by law enforcement.

During a short standoff, Jones continued to brandish his handgun, pointing it at himself as well as in the air with erratic movements resulting in gunfire from law enforcement, causing Jones' death, the release recounted.

Video of his death, recorded by private citizens, was posted to social media on Wednesday.

Residents in the area where Jones was first spotted told The Register-Herald on Thursday that Jones drove through yards in the Morgan Hills neighborhood and, while holding a gun, also banged on doors.

"This entire neighborhood is a little shook up," said one Morgan Hills resident who asked to be indentified by his last name, Bailey. "People don't feel safe in their houses anymore."

The Register-Herald also spoke with Bailey's wife who said, at the time Jones drove down her street, she was lying on the couch with her 10-year-old son with her front door unlocked.

"It's scary, it's terrifying," she said. "Yesterday everybody in this neighborhood was terrified . . . but it could have been way worse."

While home surveillance video shows Jones trying to enter a home in Morgan Hills, there have been no reports that Jones physically injured any residents.

Just down the road from the Baileys on Summit Drive, Emmitt Allen pointed to tire tracks that Jones left as he drove though Allen's backyard and onto the property of his neighbor, Brian Malonzo.

Allen said he was home at the time with his teenage kids and wife when Jones sped through. Allen said he estimates it was likely around 9 a.m. based on what other neighbors have posted to their private neighborhood Facebook page.

According to photos posted to this neighborhood Facebook page, which were shown to The Register-Herald, Jones was driving a gold pickup truck with a Virginia license plate.

"I had been up since 4 that morning and I heard my dog barking around that time but it happened so quick," said Allen adding that he never saw Jones. "It was a little spooky. You know, it shakes you up when something like that happens and then you find out an hour later that he's dead."

Allen said he's still shook up about what happen and decided to take the rest of the week off from work.

Malonzo said it's hard not to go through all the "what if" scenarios for that day. Malonzo said his mother lives with him, and she left for work around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"If (my mom) didn't go to work so early she would have ran right into him," Malonzo said.

He added that Jones also took a gas can from his back porch, which he assumed Jones used to fill the truck he was driving.

"I had a gas can sitting on the back steps and I guess he had taken other gas cans from other people and he took all the gas, put it in the (truck's gas tank) I'm assuming and then just left them all (in my yard)," Malonzo said. "None of (the gas cans) are empty . . . he was clearly in a rush because if he was really taking his time he would have emptied every single drop. The truck probably didn't run too well though considering he put my two-stroke (oil) in it."

Dylan and Holly Fedukovich who live just down the road on Munson Drive, a road that runs adjacent to Bailey's backyard, said their next-door neighbor shared a video on social media of Jones trying to break into the neighbor's house but was scared off by a proximity alarm on the camera.

"He was messing with all kinds of people, scared people to death — beating on their doors, had the gun in his hand when he was beating on their doors," Dylan Fedukovich said. "This neighborhood is a very safe, upscale neighborhood and things like that just don't happen here."

Dylan Fedukovich said he also never heard or saw Jones while he was around his house.

"I had just got up to make the baby a bottle. It was like 8:57 (a.m.) or so and that was about the time he was out here," he said. "It's scary. Too close for comfort. Way too close."

Dylan Fedukovich said his whole family was home at the time including his wife, their children, age 12, 5 and 7 months, as well as their 4-year-old niece.

Holly Fedukovich said she and her family moved to Morgan Hills because everyone described the area as safe and quiet, but after Wednesday's events, Holly said she's scared.

Not long after driving away from the Fedukovich's home, Jones drove back up to Summit Drive where he crashed his car in a neighbor's yard, according to details shared with The Register-Herald from the neighborhood's Facebook page. Deep tire track can still be seen in the yard on Summit Drive where it appears Jones ditched the gold truck.

According to a state police press release, after crashing the gold truck, Jones fled the scene and then stole a blue pickup truck and fled in an unknown direction.

Bailey said he was informed Jones stole the blue truck at gunpoint from a home in the Pine Hills neighborhood which is located off Dry Hill Road just up the road from Morgan Hills.

The investigation remains active and ongoing, according to state police.

On Thursday, The Register-Herald reached out to the Raleigh County sheriff's department, which had officers on the scene of the shooting for several hours and was involved in the pursuit. Sheriff Scott Van Meter said the state police was in charge of the investigation.

There was confusion Wednesday as to which agency was in charge of investigating the officer-involved shooting with both the state police and the Raleigh County Sheriff telling The Register-Herald that the other was in charge of the investigation.

According to the Rappahannock News, a Virginia newspaper located roughly 30 minutes northwest of Culpeper, Jones was sentenced in December 2021 to 10 years in prison with nine years suspended for a felony conviction of breaking and entering.

A story in the newspaper reported that Jones was sentenced after pleading guilty for two felony convictions, including breaking into a home in Rappahannock County.

Prior to his plea, which was made via video call, Jones had been in custody at the RSW Regional Jail in Virginia since May 2020.