MARTINSBURG - Accused murderer Donald Berkley Surber Jr. now faces a new criminal charge after his unsuccessful escape attempt at City Hospital Friday night, which ended with him being shot after he reached for a correction officer's gun, police said.

Martinsburg Police Detective Lt. G.B. Swartwood said Saturday in a news release that Berkeley County Magistrate Harry Snow has issued a felony warrant for escape from a correction facility for Surber.

Police say Friday's incident began after Surber was taken to the hospital from Eastern Regional Jail, where he had been held since being charged with the stabbing murder of Katherine Nicole Sharp during a 26-hour hostage standoff at her home earlier this week.

He had been taken to the hospital's emergency department for treatment of self-inflicted cuts to his wrists Friday evening, and Swartwood said Surber "bolted from the custody of the two (ERJ) correctional officers assigned to him" after receiving medical care.

"The inmate ran a short distance into the emergency room and attempted to flee, but his escape was blocked by the locked emergency room doors. The inmate then turned towards the officers and refused to obey their commands to stop," Swartwood said.

"It was advised that the inmate approached the correctional officers and was shot once while reaching for one of the correctional officer's weapon. The inmate suffered a single gunshot wound to his arm, which also entered his torso," he said of the incident, which happened at about 8:30 p.m.

Surber was treated for the shooting injury at City Hospital before he was flown via helicopter to Winchester Medical Center, and his condition was critical late Friday night, according to Martinsburg Police Chief Ted Anderson.

Winchester Medical Center personnel would not confirm Surber's condition Saturday.

As of 9 p.m. Saturday, Berkeley County Sheriff Kenneth "Kenny" Lemaster had not received an update on Surber's condition. He said his deputies were working with officers from the Winchester City Police and the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center in Virginia, and he said Detention Center officers were guarding Surber at Winchester Medical Center on Saturday.

Anderson said the incident involved a 9 mm weapon.

"Obviously after the correctional officer discharged his round and the suspect was struck, hospital emergency personnel responded to it and took aggressive action, which probably saved his life," Anderson said at a press conference late Friday night.

He was unable to comment on the item Surber used to harm himself in jail, how he obtained it or if he had attempted suicide as a way to escape from law enforcement while getting medical treatment.

"I think you can draw your own conclusions. I think your readers ... can also make their own conclusions when they hear this," Anderson said in response to a reporter's question.

When the hospital was temporarily in lockdown and the emergency room was treated as a crime scene, law enforcement blocked off its entrances and parking lots. Ambulance were routed to other area hospitals temporarily.

Jeremy Madison, the brother of the woman Surber is accused of murdering, was at the press staging area near the hospital Friday night after hearing about Surber's shooting.

He said he found it hard to watch as a helicopter waited to carry the inmate away.

"I'm here because I got calls about this shooting, I heard that he'd been shot. I'm also here because people loved her (Sharp). She was a beautiful person and people just loved her. ... It's just not fair that he has all these rights, he has more rights than she had. My sister didn't have any rights, he sure saw to that," Madison said angrily about the accused murderer.

"I really wanted to go right up to the hospital, but they wouldn't let me," he said, referring to law enforcement and security on the scene.

Madison said his main goal was to see that Surber doesn't hurt someone else.

"They told us to go home, they couldn't give us any information. But I want to make sure this doesn't keep going on, that no one else has to get hurt because of him. This is a sad case, so I'm going to do what I can so that the next woman won't be hurt," he said.

"And I definitely don't think they should be flying him out of here. He should suffer the way she suffered," Madison said.

A Berkeley County Sheriff's Department deputy who spoke with Madison and others in his group said the area was being secured as a safety precaution following the incident.

Hospital spokesperson Teresa McCabe said no employee or any other patients were injured during the incident.

West Virginia State Police Crime Scene Unit members also assisted city police following the shooting.

A funeral service for Sharp, 35, was scheduled Saturday.

- Staff writer Jenni Vincent can be reached at (304) 263-3381, ext. 138, or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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