Paul William Shaffer, 32, of Masontown, is being held at the North Central Regional Jail after allegedly stabbing a man in Morgantown on Friday.
West Virginia State Police Senior Trooper C.E. Smith was dispatched to the Woodline Apartment Complex at 1448 Van Voorhis Road for a stabbing in the parking lot, a criminal complaint said.
Dispatchers advised the officer that one male victim was stabbed and the perpetrator left the area on foot. The individual, later identified as Shaffer, was described as a white male wearing black shorts and a striped shirt.
According to the complaint, Trooper Smith, with the assistance of the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office, located Shaffer walking on District Drive a short distance from the scene.
Shaffer was wearing clothing matching the description witnesses provided to dispatchers, the complaint said. He was also found in possession of a bloody pocket knife.
Several witnesses on scene were able to identify Shaffer as the individual who stabbed the victim. The complaint stated one witness was able to provide the officer with surveillance camera footage of Shaffer walking around brandishing a knife just after the stabbing.
The complaint claims Shaffer made several statements, saying, “I had no choice.”
The victim was transported from the scene to J.W. Ruby Hospital Emergency Department where he was immediately taken into surgery.
The hospital was unable to provide an update on the victim’s condition.
Shaffer is being charged with malicious wounding and attempted homicide. Bond was set at $50,000.
He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 12 in Monongalia County Magistrate Court.
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