Horrible stuff here.. What is the world comming to?

www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2005052224

Four teens slain on prom night in Huntington

They were shot dead at home of recent Huntington High graduate


By Scott Finn
Staff writer  

HUNTINGTON — Four teenagers were shot to death early Sunday morning at a Huntington apartment.

Police provided few details about the shootings, including whether the killer or killers were still at large.

Huntington police identified the four victims as Dante Ward, 19, of Huntington; Edrick Clark, 18, of South Point, Ohio; Michael Dillon, 17, of Huntington; and Megan Poston, 16, of Barboursville.

The four were shot at 1410 Charleston Ave., where Ward was living. Ward was a 2003 Huntington High School graduate. Dillon was a junior there, Poston was a junior at Cabell-Midland High School, and Clark attended South Point (Ohio) High School.

Dillon and Poston attended the Huntington High School prom and an after-prom party on Saturday night. They ended up at Ward’s home early Sunday morning.

Neighbors said they awoke around 4:30 a.m. to several gunshots. Shortly after, they said they heard Poston pleading for her life, and then another gunshot.

“My daughter heard her begging not to be shot,” said Christy Thomas, who lives next door.

Three of the victims were dead when the Huntington police arrived. The fourth victim died after he was taken to Cabell Huntington Hospital, according to a Huntington Police Department news release.

The bodies of the other three victims lay on the ground for several hours Sunday as police worked the crime scene.

More than 100 people gathered in front of the home. Family members screamed and argued with police, upset they were being kept away from their loved ones. One woman, apparently the mother of one of the victims, broke through police tape

As of Sunday night, no one had been arrested connected with the shooting, police said. They did not identify any potential suspects.

A police helicopter circled the neighborhood Sunday evening, and city and State Police cars cruised the area.

Rumors were rampant at the crime scene Sunday. Some neighbors believed the shootings were payback for the beating of another young man, while others said it was a case of mistaken identity.

Some said drugs might be involved, while others denied it was possible. According to television reports, Ward had been shot in the hand a few weeks ago.

The shootings took place in a racially and economically mixed Fairfield West neighborhood, next to the former Marshall University stadium and two blocks west of Hal Greer Boulevard. The former stadium site is now home to Marshall’s forensics program.

The other side of the boulevard is notorious for drug dealing and violence, but this neighborhood was relatively quiet, neighbors said.

“I’ve always felt safe here,” said Teresa Ward, a 12-year resident of the Fairfield neighborhood. “The worst we’ve had to deal with is some loud music.”

Two blocks from the shooting, a group of Little Leaguers played at Tracy Wilson Field. Mike Dempsey brought his son to the field Sunday for some batting practice.

Dempsey lives four blocks from the shooting, in a tree-lined neighborhood of brick streets and well-kept houses. He feels safe enough to take a 4 a.m. walk at nearby Ritter Park.

“I have the attitude that nothing’s going to happen to me until it gets close to my own door,” he said. “Well, that’s pretty close to our door.”

Stephanie Holman said area churches had begun “prayer walks” through some of Huntington’s most dangerous neighborhoods. “When you do that, the enemy is going to raise his hand,” Holman said.

But she vowed the walks and other anti-crime efforts would continue.

“We’re going to stand strong for Fairfield community,” she said. “We’re going to take it back.”
Huntington police are asking anyone with information about the shootings to call 696-4420.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. To contact staff writer Scott Finn, use e-mail or call 357-4323

Ban Prom! Do it for the children

Sounds like some fine upstanding "inner city youths".

Quoted: Sounds like some fine upstanding "inner city youths".

Megan Poston, 16, of Barboursville?????

who the fuck thinks they're going to shoot 4 kids and not get caught?????

prolly over a couple hundred bucks- if that much.

when are kids going to go back to being kids..    Enjoy your youth.

If the oldest one had already been shot in the hand weeks before then he was probably making some risky lifestyle decisions. Sorry for the younger ones though, probably over at the guys house trying to score some weed or something. Thats my "theory" based on nothing but pure speculation. Ever notice in these types of stories that the family members always say there is no way they could have been doing anything wrong. Probably just a natural defensive reaction. My parents would freak out about some of the stuff we did when we were young and dumb, now I'm older and dumb and they don't really care what I do