17-year-old will be tried as an adult in deadly Rural Retreat gas station shooting

19-year-old was killed late Sunday night

RURAL RETREAT, Va. – A man is dead after a shooting at a Rural Retreat gas station late Sunday night.

According to the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the Spirit Convenience Store at 6862 West Lee Highway at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

When they arrived, they found Matthew Blake King, 19, of Rural Retreat, dead in the parking lot after being shot.

Witnesses at the scene told police the suspect ran away.

The suspect, William Greg Akers III, 17, was found close to the scene and was taken into custody without incident, according to the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office.

Although William is only 17 years old, he will be tried as an adult on the charges of first-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

This is an ongoing investigation.


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