Preston County man charged after firing gun close to houses

Erin Cleavenger, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
·1 min read

Jul. 25—Deputies in Preston County arrested an Aurora man Wednesday after he allegedly fired a gun within a few feet of his residence with two small children inside.

According to a criminal complaint, when deputies responded to a shots-fired call on Brookside Drive they met and subsequently detained Donald Ira Nair, 39, of Aurora, in the front yard.

The officers stated Nair had a loaded gun in his hand when they arrived.

Deputies found bullet holes about 4 feet from Nair's house where his girlfriend and two children, ages 2 and 4, were located, the complaint said.

The officers noted the occupants of a neighboring home, located just 100 yards (308 feet) away, were also placed at risk by the gunfire.

Nair admitted to officers he had been shooting the firearm in front of his house, the complaint said.

Nair was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment. He is currently being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail on $15, 000 bond.

According to West Virginia code 20-2-58 regarding shooting near a building or crowd, it is "unlawful for any person to shoot or discharge any firearms within five hundred feet of any dwelling house."

However, the code provides that a person who lives in the house may shoot or discharge a firearm in a lawful manner within five hundred feet if the firearm is being discharged "with the express or implied knowledge and consent of all residents of that dwelling house, and no other dwelling houses are located within five hundred feet of where the firearm is discharged."

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