West Virginia homeless man charged in machete attack, police say
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Police in West Virginia say a homeless man has been charged in a machete attack on another homeless man, who was then thrown into a frigid river.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the attack occurred Sunday morning in the Kanawha City section of Charleston.
Charleston police Lt. Steve Cooper says 23-year-old Brandon Thompson of Charleston was charged with attempted murder and malicious wounding. Cooper says 19-year-old victim Brandon Robinson hasn’t been located and could be dead. A police diver search was suspended due to cold temperatures.
Cooper says witnesses reported Thompson allegedly repeatedly hit Robinson with a machete, stomped on his head, then dragged him and threw him in the Kanawha River. The alleged incident happened outside of a tent on the riverbank, the Gazette-Mail reported.
Police said the men were acquaintances.
Thompson was taken to the South Charleston Regional Jail to await arraignment. Jail records didn’t indicate whether he has an attorney.