A 60-year-old man from Piney View, West Virginia, has been arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a security guard at The Resort at Glade Springs, a gated resort and community near Beckley in Raleigh County.
Incident Details
The shooting occurred on Monday, February 16, 2026, at the Glade Springs Guard Shack (the entrance gate to the resort). Deputies from the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a shooting around 9:00 p.m. They found the security guard suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.
Victim Identified
The victim was identified as Terrell Dwight Hicks, the on-duty security guard at the gate. According to reports, Hicks had informed his wife that he had been shot by someone at the front gate entrance.
Suspect and Sequence of Events
The suspect, Michael Lloyd Taylor, 60, of Piney View, was identified following an extensive investigation that included reviewing surveillance footage from the guard shack.
At approximately 6:53 p.m., Taylor arrived in a red Nissan Titan truck and presented his West Virginia driver’s license to Hicks.
He was denied entry because he could not provide the address of his intended destination within the resort.
Taylor left but returned around 7:37 p.m. in the same vehicle.
Footage showed him producing a handgun, firing into the guard building, and striking Hicks in the chest. Hicks fell to the ground after being hit.
Taylor was taken into custody shortly after being identified as the shooter.
Charges
Taylor faces charges of:
First-degree murder
Use of a firearm during the commission of a felony
Motive and Additional Information
Authorities have not publicly released a motive for the shooting. No further details on Taylor’s background, any prior connection to the resort, or the reason for his attempted entry have been disclosed. The investigation remains ongoing, with the criminal complaint providing the key evidence from video surveillance.
Community Response
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support the family of the slain security guard.
This appears to stem from a routine denial of entry escalating tragically. The Resort at Glade Springs is a popular gated community and resort area known for golf, dining, and accommodations in southern West Virginia.
