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W. Va. shooting probe narrows to one communityResidents 'think it may be drug related'
CHARLESTON, West Virginia (CNN) -- The task force investigating three seemingly random shootings outside Charleston last week is getting "significant leads" and narrowing its list of suspects, sources close to the investigation told CNN Tuesday. Investigators said they are focusing on the community near where the third victim was gunned down but stressed they were still uncertain whether the three were randomly chosen or linked in some way. Officials said they are following 10 "solid" leads. "Deputies have been knocking on doors and interviewing more than 150 people already and are back there today," said Kanawha County Chief Deputy Phil Morris. "There's no smoking gun, but people in the community think it may be drug-related." "In this area there are a lot of drugs that have been bought and sold, and the public is concerned," he added, saying the main drug trade revolves around methamphetamines. Morris stressed, however, that investigators had not linked any of the victims to drugs or to each other. Gary Carrier, 44, was shot in the head just after 11 p.m. August 10 while using a pay phone outside a Go-Mart store on the west side of Charleston. Four days later, Jeanie Patton, 31, was killed at about 10:30 p.m. at a Speedway filling station on Campbell Creek Road south of Charleston. An hour later, Okey Meadows, 26, was fatally shot at a Go-Mart on U.S. 60 east of the city. Meadows' grandfather, Kenneth Tinsley, said his grandson "never fooled with drugs, never drank, never smoked, and we went to church." Kanawha County Sheriff Dave Tucker said Monday that investigators were questioning 100 suspects. Twelve teams made up of local law enforcement authorities and some federal agents were working on making contact with all of the 100 suspects, a law enforcement source told CNN. Investigators are also looking for a dark-colored, possibly maroon, full-size pickup -- perhaps a Ford F-150 -- in connection with the killings, Tucker said. Witnesses saw the dark-colored truck at the Go-Mart where Meadows was killed. One witness -- a woman talking on a pay phone a few feet away from where Meadows stood -- told police she saw a black pickup truck with an extended cab and gold trim, and others said they saw the truck at the store 20 minutes before the shooting.
But law enforcement officials said such trucks are common in the West Virginia mountains, noting that Charleston Mayor Danny Jones and at least two police officers drive similar trucks. The law enforcement source said investigators are checking motor vehicle records to find names of people who drive similar trucks. The source also said that as part of the investigation, authorities have checked the backgrounds of the three victims and found that they all attended the same high school, although not at the same time. It's not known if this is a significant clue or just a coincidence, the source said. CNN correspondents Art Harris and Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report.
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