On September 3, 2020, a tragic double fatal shooting occurred at a bar in Huntington, West Virginia, resulting in the deaths of two individuals, including Marcus D. Graham, 29, from Michigan. The incident took place around 2 a.m. at the Copa Bar, located near the intersection of 10th Avenue and 20th Street. Upon arrival, police found Audra J. Perry, 28, of Huntington, pronounced dead at the scene, while Marcus D.
Graham was transported to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The shooting was part of a larger pattern of violence at the Copa Bar, which had been declared a nuisance by the city of Huntington due to multiple previous shootings. The city was actively pursuing legal action to demolish the building, with Mayor Steve Williams stating, 'The only solution for this location is for this building to be bulldozed and we are immediately pursuing legal authorization to do so'.
Following the shooting, Huntington police launched an investigation and issued warrants for a suspect identified as Devon M. Carey, 25 who was wanted for first-degree murder and second-degree murder in connection with the double fatal shooting. Carey was described as the primary suspect in the case, and authorities urged anyone with information about his location to contact them.
After a thorough investigation and a multi-agency effort, Devon Maurice Carey was apprehended by federal and state authorities on December 15, 2020. The U.S. Marshals Service for the Southern District of West Virginia, along with the Huntington police, the Cabell County Sheriff's Office, and the Ironton Police Department, collaborated to take Carey into custody in Columbus, Ohio. He was arrested and subsequently held in the Franklin County Jail in Ohio.
At the time of his arrest, formal charges were not immediately announced, but it was clear that Carey was the primary suspect in the fatal shootings of Audra J. Perry and Marcus D. Graham. The arrest marked a significant development in the case, bringing some measure of closure to the families of the victims and the community affected by the violence at the Copa Bar.
