Horsemen and Kolleh charged; Judge denies bond reductions in drug robbery shooting

A grand jury will hear the cases against two men accused of robbing people who were looking to buy marijuana and shooting one of them in the hip.

Ethan Horseman, 20, was charged with unlawful wounding, first-degree armed robbery and conspiracy. Edward Kolleh, 28, was charged with first-degree armed robbery and conspiracy.

Both men had a preliminary hearing in front of Magistrate Darris Summers on Thursday. Summers found probable cause to forward both to a grand jury.

Summers also denied motions seeking bond reductions made by each defendant’s attorney. He said it would be best to let circuit court decide that issue due to the severity of the charges and the fact that both defendants wanted to go to counties other than Monongalia, where he couldn’t be sure of the quality of their home confinement programs.

Both men are being held in North Central Regional Jail. Horseman in lieu of $250,000 bond; Kolleh in lieu of $150,000 bond.

The Morgantown Police Department received a 911 call from Kolleh or Horseman from their apartment at 925 College Ave. on Feb. 29, detective Justin Judy, with the Morgantown Police Department, said.

While investigating the call, which Kolleh and Horseman said was a robbery over marijuana, someone with J.W. Ruby Memorial called 911 to report a gunshot wound, as state law requires, Judy testified.

An MPD officer went there and took a statement from Nolan Nelson, who was shot in the hip, Judy said. The gunshot victim and his friend, Levi Estep, told officers they went to the College Avenue apartment to buy marijuana but shortly after they entered the apartment, a black man came out of a closet with a shotgun and Horseman pulled a pistol with a green laser.

A struggle for the guns ensued and the victim was shot in the right groin area, sending the bullet into his hip, Judy said. Estep told officers he took the shotgun and fired it twice.

Video cameras outside the apartment captured Estep and Nelson entering the apartment and leaving about two minutes later, Judy said. Nelson left the apartment with an obvious limp and in a hurry, while Estep was seen backing out of the apartment with the shotgun before dropping it and running.

Five .40 shell casings were found in the apartment and two were found out back, Judy said. Three .20 gauge shotgun shells were found on scene. A backpack with packaged marijuana, a .40 caliber pistol with a green laser and a black face mask were found behind the apartment.

Judy testified a camera captured the backpack entering into its view as if thrown from above. Police believe the backpack was thrown from Horseman and Kolleh’s window.

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