UNION, Wva – People in the New River Valley can feel a renewed sense of security after a man, who was said to be breaking into homes, was shot and killed by police.
After evading police for months, Anthony Meyers was confronted by West Virginia State Troopers on Monday, October 16, and was killed after allegedly pointing his rifle at them.
Meyers first became known to the public through the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office when he broke into multiple homes in the county. At the time, he was unidentified.
Reports came in from Wythe County of break-ins with a similar motive — stolen food.
Later on, he was spotted in Bland County and Giles County. After two incidents in Giles, Meyers disappeared once again.
Meyers reappeared on October 11, 2023, in Monroe County, West Virginia, which borders Giles County.
One resident who works at a diner in town said she saw lots of police on her way in to work.
“We passed like so many cops,” said Leeandra Willis, a resident of Monroe County. “Anywhere you went there were cops everywhere.”
She also said she heard about Meyers on the news when visiting family in Bland, but could not believe he made it to her county.
Willis said when the police identified him, it made the situation much more serious.
“When they finally identified him and said what he was, you worry about young girls out here,” Willis said.
She said with how long he was on the run, she was glad someone finally caught up to him.
“I’m just relieved someone finally caught him,” said Willis. “Obviously, the man was smart to last as long as he did.”
Meyers’s criminal history included assault, burglary, vandalism, and attempted rape in 2008.
Records show when he was released from a medical facility in July in Massachusetts, he never reported to probation.
West Virginia State Police said in a statement they want to thank the public for all of their help. Information received by the public directly helped them locate Meyers.