A fatal incident involving a West Virginia ambulance crew is drawing scrutiny after surveillance video surfaced that appears to contradict the initial account provided by EMS personnel.

The incident occurred at about 2:00 a.m. on April 16, 2026, in Elkview, West Virginia, involving two employees of the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority and 45-year-old John Curtis Lucas.

According to the initial statement released by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and published by WCHS:

• At approximately 2:00 a.m. on April 16, 2026, two female Kanawha County EMS employees observed a suspicious individual near their detachment in Elkview.
• The employees observed a male, later identified as John Curtis Lucas, wearing what initially appeared to be a bathrobe but was later determined to be a trench coat. The male was reportedly prowling around the area and was believed to be holding a knife. Fearing for their safety, the EMS workers left the area.
• As they traveled along Railroad Avenue near Tudor’s Biscuit World, the male allegedly ran from beside the building and leaped in front of their ambulance, landing on the hood of the vehicle while still believed to be armed. The EMS workers continued driving, at which point the male fell from the vehicle. They then contacted Metro 911.
• Deputies with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area and located Lucas laying along U.S. Route 119.
• Lucas was found in critical condition and was transported to a local hospital by emergency medical personnel, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
• This incident remains under active investigation by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.

Radio traffic from the incident, however, reflected a more uncertain picture. Dispatchers relayed that the crew reported they had struck a male with the vehicle while leaving and were unsure of the extent of his injuries. At one point dispatch advised responding units that the crew believed the man might be under the ambulance and that screaming could be heard coming from beneath the vehicle. Dispatchers instructed the crew to stop, but the ambulance continued moving. A dispatcher then reported, “I’m not sure what’s going on with this crew. They’re mobile again.”  

Surveillance video later obtained by Lucas’s family and their attorney from a nearby business appears to show the ambulance striking Lucas and continuing forward rather than stopping immediately. According to reports, the vehicle traveled nearly two miles before coming to a stop. First responders who located Lucas reported that he was unresponsive but still breathing, with severe traumatic injuries including the loss of an arm and major leg trauma. He later died at a hospital.  

Lucas’s family has publicly disputed the original claim that he was armed. His sister stated, “If he did [have a knife], where is it? They’ve never found one.” Family members also explained that Lucas had suffered a traumatic brain injury as a teenager in a head-on collision with a school bus and had ongoing cognitive limitations as a result.  

Following release of the video, Debra Rusnak, the Kanawha County prosecutor, stated that investigators had collected more than 250 pieces of evidence and acknowledged that “the initial accounts of the incident do differ from the evidence reviewed thus far.” She said the matter remains under review to determine whether criminal charges will be filed.  

The two EMS employees involved have been placed on administrative leave by the ambulance authority pending completion of the investigation.