Timothy Kennedy, Sgt. Cory Maynard (West Virginia State Police)
The suspect in a Friday shooting in Mingo County, W. Va., is under arrest and charged with first-degree murder in the death of a veteran trooper who responded to the scene near Matewan.
According to West Virginia State Police, Sgt. Cory Maynard, 37, was one of the troopers who responded to the 4200 block of Beech Creek Drive on Friday afternoon after suspect Timothy David Kennedy allegedly shot and wounded 39-year-old Benjamin Adam Baldwin with a rifle for reasons not yet known. Though Baldwin was listed in stable condition after being taken to the hospital, Maynard was fatally wounded by gunfire and did not survive, despite life-saving efforts. West Virginia MetroNews reported that Maynard was an organ donor.
Kennedy, who turned 29 in April, now faces the possibility of life in prison after being charged with first-degree murder in the death of Sgt. Maynard, who had served as a trooper since 2007. Maynard, a husband and father of two, was honored over the weekend by local first responders who were deeply saddened by his death, WBOY reported. He was also remembered by friends as “one of the good ones” and as someone who will be “dearly missed.”
Sgt. Cory Maynard (left, in a GoFundMe image; right, at the Williamson Public Library reading to children)
A GoFundMe campaign started to help support the trooper’s wife and children said that his “personality and love for life & laughs was contagious.”
“If his life’s path crossed yours, your life is undoubtedly better for it,” the GoFundMe said.
More than $42,000 has been raised as of Monday morning.
Timothy Kennedy was visibly covered in bruises after his Friday night arrest several hours after Maynard and Baldwin were shot. More than 100 law enforcement officers were involved in the search that led to his capture. He was arraigned before a magistrate judge on Saturday morning.
Timothy Kennedy arraigned, June 3, 2023 (WSAZ screengrab)
Southwestern Regional Jail records show that Kennedy was booked at 1:50 a.m. on Saturday. There is no bail listed.
Timothy Kennedy (West Virginia State Police)
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) said Friday that he was “absolutely heartbroken” by Maynard’s death.
“I am absolutely heartbroken tonight to report that Sergeant Cory Maynard of the West Virginia State Police was fatally wounded in an incident this afternoon near Matewan,” Justice tweeted Friday. “Cathy and I share our deepest sympathies and our heartfelt prayers to all of Trooper Maynard’s loved ones and the entire law enforcement community of West Virginia for this tragic loss tonight.”
The governor then ordered state and U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff.
Mingo County, a.k.a. “Bloody Mingo,” and neighboring Logan County were the coal country home of the Hatfield family, of Hatfields and McCoys blood feud fame.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) called Maynard a “hero who sacrificed everything,” noting that the slain law enforcement officer was from the Bluegrass State’s Pike County, where the McCoys hailed from historically.
“Sgt. Maynard was from Pike County here in Kentucky, and his loss is felt by so many,” the governor said. “I ask all of the commonwealth to join Britainy and me in praying for his family, fellow law enforcement officers and all of West Virginia.”
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