adams county hospital
by Liza Ziegler
In the news: One man died while a woman is still in critical condition after a double shooting incident in the village early Sunday morning. According to police reports, William Fenton, age 32 resident of Blue Creek allegedly fired a handgun at Sarah Mills, 28, of Blue Creek and afterwards shot himself. Fenton died at 12:40 pm Monday while Mills' condition has stabilized on Tuesday.
According to investigation William and Sarah had an argument at a gas station last February 18 the same day that West Union Lt. Tim Sanderson was on patrol. At approximately 3:24 am, Lt. Sanderson noticed Fenton lying on the pavement in front of the Marathon station, beside Carter Lumber on Route 41. He stopped at the said gas station and found Mills lying unconscious beside a Jeep and an infant lying face down in the snow.
Witnesses to the incident said that they saw Mills drove up to the doors of the station in the Jeep (no specific description was given whether it has Jeep bikini top, etc. etc. or if it's a Cherokee nobody knows) while Fenton got out as if to enter the store. Mills with her baby also got out of the Jeep while Fenton went back to the vehicle. The two were still arguing when Mills began shouting for help.
A young man allegedly tried to help Mills but was stopped by Mills saying that Fenton had a gun. The man returned to his car and used his cell phone to contact someone in Georgetown to call 911 and report the incident. Unfortunately, Fenton had already shot Mills in the face, but luckily the infant was unharmed and then afterwards Fenton shot himself. Lt. Sanderson said that he able to arrive at the scene before 911 had the time to respond.
Mills and Fenton were quickly transported to Adams County Hospital but were later transferred to University Hospital in Cincinnati due to their critical condition. The bad weather made it impossible for a helicopter transfer so Mills was transferred by Life Ambulance Service while Fenton was transported by the West Union Life Squad.
The infant was also brought to ACH as a precaution in case the baby has sustained injuries. After making sure that the baby was alright it was taken by Deputy Rick Philips to Adams County Children's Services for the time being and later the baby will be placed under the care of a family member.
Detective Shawn Cooley together with several units from the Adams Country Sheriff's Office and Officer Jeremy Caldwell of the Winchester Police Department also arrived to assist. They were able to recover an automatic .25-caliber handgun underneath Fenton. The Jeep was also searched for more clues on the incident.
Lisa Ziegler is a 29-year old native of Waldport, Oregon and is currently working as a senior research analyst in a top Automotive Research Consultancy firm.
