UPDATE | Federal indictment announced in connection with Huntington bar shooting

United States Attorney Mike Stuart took to the steps of the Sidney L. Christie Federal Building in Huntington Wednesday to announce a federal indictment in connection with the mass shooting at the former Kulture Hookah Bar on New Year's day.

United States Attorney Mike Stuart says Kymonie Davis, of Detroit, has been indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.

Stuart says Kymonie Davis, of Detroit, has been indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition and remains a fugitive of justice. Earlier this month, Davis was named Detroit's most wanted and is to be considered armed and dangerous.

Cabell County Prosecutor Corky Hammers says Davis is also charged with seven counts of malicious wounding and seven counts of wanton endangerment locally.

Stuart also announced Wednesday during the news conference that all seven victims of the shooting at the downtown bar have been released from the hospital.

Stuart, along with law enforcement and city of Huntington leaders, also touted strides being made against violent crime in the city. Stuart says the promise he made to citizens when he announced Project Huntington back in March of 2018 still rings true today.

"Our promise then and our promise today is to make Huntington the safest city of its size in the country," Stuart said. "This city is far safer today than it was two years ago. Numbers don't lie."

Stuart says from 2018 to 2019 numbers show an overall decrease in violent crime by 24 percent in the city of Huntington. He also says there has been a 71 percent reduction in murders and a 52 percent decrease in robberies.

In the aftermath of the New Year's Day shooting, Huntington Mayor Steve Williams vowed to make changes to make sure businesses are operating legitimately and make sure nothing like this happens again.

WSAZ has been asking the city since that happened about those policies and procedures. Williams spoke with WSAZ after Wednesday's news conference about two policies the city is implementing.

The mayor says the first policy will require someone wanting to apply for a special permit to open a bar in the city to first apply for a liquor license with the Alcohol Beverage Control Administration.

The owner would then need to show proof of the application to the Board of Zoning Appeals before the permit would be approved. The mayor says that policy is already in effect and the city of Huntington is the first to implement such a policy in the state.

The second policy would be a background checks system for anyone wanting to open a bar. The city is still working to enact that policy.

As far as the local investigation into the shooting at the former Kulture Hookah Bar, Huntington's Interim Police Chief Ray Cornwell says the shooting was the result of a fight between two people at the bar.

Cornwell says so far, his office has interviewed two dozen witnesses, including victims, served nine search warrants and looked through surveillance video.

During the news conference, he stated he would not be commenting on the names, locations or conditions of the seven shooting victims.

Officials say it is possible more charges could be coming in the future.

Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.

On Monday, Charon Harris, the owner of Kulture Hookah Bar, sat down with WSAZ for an exclusive interview to answer questions about her bar and what happened on New Year's Day.

"I've never been that close to gunfire before," Harris said. "I've never seen it. It was like something off a really bad Army movie. Ninety-five percent of the people who were in that bar, they call me mom. They call me auntie. I see them on a regular basis. I love them. They love me, and I'm looking at them and they are on the ground and they are bleeding. They are falling. They are running and screaming."

Seven people were injured in the shooting at the bar in the 1100 block of 4th Avenue in downtown Huntington.

After the shooting, several questions were raised about the bar and how it was operated, prompting city officials to hold a news conference.

City leaders say the bar wasn't operating legally with the permits Harris had and that the business was delinquent on both B&O taxes and city user fee payments.

They said that Harris originally went before the zoning board to get a special permit to operate as a retail location. That request was granted. Leaders say she later came back to get special approval to become a bar, but say she never completed the process, which included getting a liquor license from the Alcohol and Beverage Control Administration.

State officials say Harris had filled out some paperwork to begin the process of getting that license, but never filed an application for the license.

Still, Harris says she believe it was OK to serve small amounts of alcohol.

"From my understanding, we are allowed to give up to two ounces of alcohol to each customer," Harris said. "No more, no less. You can't give out more than that. That's why there's not much of it there because you can't keep giving it."

When WSAZ asked ABCA officials about that, we were told that no alcohol can be served without a license.

During last week's press conference, Mayor Steve Williams addressed the amount of times inspectors and police had been to the establishment since it opened.

"There were twenty-plus incidents where inspectors had been there or police," Williams said.

On Tuesday, city officials clarified that number only included inspections at the business as a retail establishment and only six calls to 911 requesting police. Several of the complaints were for noise, and one was regarding a fight.

However, Harris told WSAZ she only saw police in her bar twice. She says the first time was when her security called police after someone stole her bartender's cell phone. She says the second time was the shooting.

"If there were calls for the police to show up, they never actually showed up," Harris said. "They don't come to my bar. They drive past. I see them sitting in the parking lot across the street. They don't come to the door. They don't ask to speak to anybody. They don't ask to come in. They don't come to Kulture."

On Tuesday, city officials clarified that number to WSAZ, saying that number only included inspections at the business as a retail establishment.

After the shooting, a temporary cease and desist order was placed on the business. However, city officials told WSAZ Tuesday that the property owner had terminated the bar owner's lease. According to paperwork, Thor Real Estate LLC owned the building.

As for Harris moving forward, she says she isn't sure what is next but is upset that the shooting happened and holds out hope that the shooter is caught.

"I feel like this guy came into my house and shot my children," Harris said. "That's what I feel like. I feel like this one person decided for everybody whether they were going to be safe or not. Whether we were going to be able to maintain or not. This one person gave that less a care for human life because there were people inside and outside. There were people all over the place. He had no regard for human life, and he decided alone the fate of Kulture."

WSAZ reached out to Huntington Police Tuesday to get an update on the shooting victim's conditions. We were told police are not releasing that information.

The man accused of the shooting, Kymonie Davis, of Detroit, still has not been arrested. Davis faces seven counts of wanton endangerment and a malicious wounding charge.

When asked during the interview if Harris would change anything about what happened, her response was, "I would've did it the first way I wanted to do it. I would've had my band play there. I would've had my band play or there would have been an old school artist there and there would have been a 35-plus crowd in there if I could just go back and take it back."

Charon Harris, owner of the Kulture Hooka Bar, sat down Monday night for an exclusive interview with WSAZ's Tim Irr and Amanda Barren.

Seven people were shot in the early morning hours of New Year's Day at that location in the 1100 block of 4th Avenue in downtown Huntington.

Afterward the city issued a cease and desist order on the business.

City leaders said Harris wasn't operating the bar legally with the permits she had, adding they've had their eye on the establishment for some time.

Harris, who investigators say is also known as Charon Reese, says she doesn't believe that is the case.

She tells WSAZ police had been to her bar only when she let them in, adding she had an open and cordial relationship with the city.

"I feel like this guy (the shooter) came into my house and shot my children," Harris said. "I feel like this one person decided for everybody whether they were going to be safe or not, whether we were going to be able to maintain or not. This one person gave that less a care for human life because there were people outside and inside, there were people all over the place, and he had no regard for human life, and he decided alone the fate of Kulture."

Harris says she's sorry the victims were shot at her business.

"You all know I love you all," Harris said. "I'm just so sorry this happened to you all. I honestly did everything I thought I could do to prevent this from happening, and I'm sorry to your families this happened at my place."

Harris said her customers felt like family, and it was horrifying to witness the carnage early New Year's morning.

"It wasn't that I didn't think I was going to make it," she said. "The people in this bar, for the most part, 95 percent of the people who were in that bar, they call me Mom, they call me Auntie. I see them on a regular basis. I love them. They love me, and I'm looking at them on the ground, and they're bleeding and falling and running and screaming."

Harris tells WSAZ police had only been in her business twice. She says the first time was when her security called police after someone stole her bartender's cell phone. She says the second time was the mass shooting.

City leaders say Harris's business has paid nothing in taxes since opening last summer. Harris says she's been instructed to pay $5 in taxes for every week they've been open.

Harris says when she applied for her business license, she was first told she'd have to start off as a retail store. She says the zoning board approved for her to convert her business into a bar, but the health department told her she'd have to make changes to the location before she could get a liquor license. She says that's why inspectors had been at her building.

Harris says following the New Year's shooting, she would like to keep her business open.

"I would like to stay open," Harris told WSAZ. "No one has anywhere to go. My phone goes crazy all the time."

Harris says she's waiting on city officials to tell her what they're going to do next.

Harris also told us she never served a day in jail for her 2016 conviction for allowing a man to sell heroin in an apartment that she leased. She was sentenced to 15 months but says she was actually given five years of probation.

Harris claims the man who was convicted of selling heroin, and from Detroit, was her ex-boyfriend. The pair had broken up, but he stayed in the apartment that had her name on the lease.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, that man Eddie William Randall, was selling heroin in the apartment that was being brought in from Detroit.

Harris was originally from Detroit but has lived in Huntington for close to the last two decades.

She said she wanted to fight the charge against her in federal court but was advised otherwise by her attorney.

Kymonie Davis, the man accused of pulling the trigger in the New Year's Day shooting at the Kulture Hookah Bar, has not been caught. Police say he's from Detroit.

Nearly a week after seven people were injured in a shooting at the Kulture Hookah Bar in Huntington, we are learning more about the bar and how it was operating.

Last week, the city placed a cease and desist order on the bar because officials say it wasn't operating in the manner the owner, Charon Reese, originally stated it would.

The day after the crime, WSAZ submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the city of Huntington to obtain a copy of the special permit that was granted to Reese for the Kulture Hookah Bar.

Reese was originally approved to open as a retail location. City officials say she later applied for a special permit to open as a bar, which was also approved, but the business was told they needed to take additional steps, including obtaining a new certificate of occupancy and business license before opening as a bar. The city says Kulture LLC never took those steps.

The Freedom of Information Act request uncovered that Reese applied for the special permit by saying it would be a private space that would cater to people over the age of 25. However, one of the shooting victims told WSAZ she was 18-years-old and that she had been going to the bar since it opened.

According to the FOIA, the owner said she wanted her business to be a quiet place where people could go without any fighting or noise. Reese told the zoning board the nature of the club would be relaxed. She explained it as a place where people could sit on couches, chat, watch television or play games. But during a news conference last week, Huntington's mayor said that's not how the business was operating.

Mayor Steve Williams said there were several incidents where police or inspectors responded to the bar. WSAZ received a call log with a total of eight complaints. Several of the complaints were for noise, and one was regarding a fight.

As far as security at the bar, Reese brought her security manager with her when she went before the zoning board to get her special permit. The security manager told officials everyone wishing to come inside the bar would be subjected to a pat down. The shooting victim WSAZ spoke with said she and her friends were patted down the night of the shooting. Reese also said doors would remain locked and that there would be a buzzer to let people in and out.

WSAZ has reached out to the bar owner several times for comment but she has not returned our phone calls.

The Huntington Police Department is still searching for Kymonie Davis in connection to the New Year's Day shooting. Davis is facing wanton endangerment and of malicious wounding charges.

Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.

One of the people shot at the Kulture Hookah Bar on New Year's Day is speaking out for the first time.

Aryanah, who does not want her last name revealed, told WSAZ this was one of the first times she has been out since the shooting happened early Wednesday morning at the Kulture Hookah Bar in Huntington.

Speaking to WSAZ's Sarah Sager, Aryanah said, "They took that person out of the bar. When they took that person out of the bar that's when the gun shots started firing, and that's when I guess I got shot in my upper abdomen."

Aryanah was with several of her friends on Wednesday ringing in the New Year when shots rang out around 1:30 a.m., hitting Aryanah in the stomach and also hurting two of her friends.

"I was laying down on the ground with my friend. She was asking me if I was okay. I didn't know if I was. I thought I was dying at that time," said Aryanah.

"What was going through your head? Did you know you had been hit right away?" said Sarah.

"At the time no I didn't know," said Aryanah. "I thought that they were just shooting paintball guns at first honestly. Like I didn't even know. I knew I had got hit. I felt something, but I didn't feel it until I looked down. That's when I really started feeling it."

"What went through your head at that moment?" asked Sarah. "That I was dying," said Aryanah. "I was screaming to some of my friends, "I'm dying. I'm dying." I wasn't dying. I'm here," said Aryanah.

Aryanah's friends stayed by her side even though she was also injured.

However, Aryanah says the shooting wasn't a typical night at the Kulture Hookah Bar where she had become a regular visitor since it opened up in the summer of 2019.

"I didn't think it would happen that day because I've been going there for so long. Even on Sundays, it was game night. We would go and play games," said Aryanah.

"So are you sad it is shut down right now?," asked Sarah. "No," said Aryanah, "Because I won't ever go to a bar again".

It was a night meant for celebration that went horribly wrong and left seven victims scarred deeper than on the surface.

"The security at the bar pretty much did all they could. They pat the girls down and the guys down. The guy I guess just went outside to get whatever he needed to get to do it," said Aryanah. "I really don't know what to say. Everybody be careful about where you go, and just stay cautious all the time."

Aryanah now plans to go to a trauma counselor to help her move forward. She also told WSAZ she hopes police catch the person responsible for the shooting.

As for the other victims, Aryanah said one of her friends is still n the hospital and will have to relearn how to walk.

It is still unclear the condition of the other five who were shot.

In the aftermath of 7 people being shot at a New Years party in downtown Huntington, Mayor Steve Williams is talking about changes that could make it harder for new bars to open in the city.

At a news conference Thursday, the mayor said he'd be suggesting changes be made to the city's business license process to include different vetting procedures.

Williams said he didn't know about Kulture Hookah Bar owner Charon Reese's heroin arrest for her role in maintaining a residence for the purpose of distributing heroin until after the shooting early New Years morning.

He says the owners of Kulture misrepresented what type of business they'd be running.

The mayor was asked if his proposal to alter the business license process could make it harder for future legitimate bars to open in the city. He said he didn't care.

"I'm going to be meeting with city council and the planning commission as to what we might need to put in place to make sure we aren't opening any more bars in Huntington," Williams said.

Herb Stanley owns the Union Pub and Grill on the same block as the scene of the shooting.

"I was disappointed all of a sudden the bars were brought into this, like it's our fault," Stanley said. "That place was not a bar and did not have a license. Now all of a sudden we are at fault? The blame goes to the zoning board and to the city. I've said it over and over. People make mistakes, but just own up to it."

Stanley is hoping the changes the mayor is talking about don't go too far.

"I hope they cool down and don't make any hasty decisions," Stanley said. "That place wasn't a bar at all. I'm afraid they're going to pass things they'll regret later on."

The mayor said the bars and restaurants in Huntington do an honorable and safe business, but he 's concerned about new entities coming in, and he said he has reason to worry.

A man from Detroit is wanted in connection with a New Year's Day bar shooting that injured seven people, Huntington Police said Thursday night.

Kymonie Desean Davis, 30, has been charged with seven counts of wanton endangerment and one count of malicious wounding. Investigators say he also has active warrants locally for burglary and domestic battery and is wanted for fraud in Illinois with no extradition.

The shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at Kulture Hookah Bar in the 1100 block of 4th Avenue.

Police said two of the seven victims are in critical condition.

Earlier on Thursday, city leaders announced a cease and desist order to close the establishment. During that news conference, interim Huntington Police Chief Ray Cornwell said the shooting resulted from a dispute between people and is not considered random.

Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.

The city of Huntington will be issuing a cease and desist order to close a bar where seven people were shot on New Year's Day, Mayor Steve Williams said Thursday during a news conference.

Two of the seven victims are in critical condition, but all are considered stable, Huntington Interim Police Chief Ray Cornwell said.

The shootings took place just before 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at Kulture Hookah Bar in the 1100 block of 4th Avenue.

Mayor Williams said the establishment originally applied to the Huntington Board of Zoning Appeals as a retail business and was approved. The company later applied for a special permit to open as a bar, which was also approved, but the business was told they needed to take additional steps, including obtaining a new certificate of occupancy and business license before opening as a bar. The city says Kulture LLC never took those steps.

The mayor also said the business has not paid any taxes, which helped prompt the decision for the cease and desist order.

"They haven't paid the first penny of taxes," Williams said.

He added that the Board of Zoning Appeals will be altering the business licensing process to prevent this type of incident from happening again. As to whether those changes could prevent future legitimate bars from opening in Huntington, the mayor says that's a cost he's willing to take.

"I don't care if it hurts anyone," Williams said. "I don't believe we need any more bars here. The intent is we don't have an over-development of bars. The bars and restaurants that are in Huntington do an honorable and safe business. I am concerned about new entities coming in. We have reason to worry."

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charleston, the owner of Kulture Hookah Bar is Charon Chere Harris, also known as Charon Reese. Investigators say she pleaded guilty in 2016 to maintaining a residence for the purpose of distributing heroin.

Cornwell said three search warrants have been issued -- one at the bar and two involving vehicles. He said the warrants have yielded several items of evidence.

Investigators also say that multiple law enforcement agencies have been involved with investigating criminal activity at the location, but there has been no action based on what they found.

In response to a question about the whether the city is safe, the mayor replied, "Of course, Huntington is safe. "Our crime has been declining every single year."

City officials have not released the names or ages of the victims at this time.

"For a stunt like this, for individuals to come in and say we are going to open a retail shop and just have an open party bar or private club, and then to come in on New Years night and shoot up the place is unacceptable," Mayor Williams said. "We won't allow that to happen in our town."

There is no word about a suspect at this time. Cornwell said the shooting resulted from a dispute between people and is not considered random. So far, about half of the major parties involved have been interviewed.

We have a crew at the news conference. Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.

Huntington City leaders are expected to release more information Thursday about the mass shooting that happened at the Kulture Hookah Bar in the early morning hours of New Year's Day.

Seven people were injured. No one was killed.

City officials say they will hold a news conference about the incident at 3 p.m. Thursday.

A mass shooting, as defined by the Gun Violence Archive (an independent research and data collection organization), is when four or more people are shot and or killed in a single event at the same general time and location. That number does not include the shooter.

Police have not released the names of the victims or the extent of their injuries. However, Bonnie Williams tells WSAZ that her daughter Elizabeth Wells, 29, is among the victims and is recovering at Cabell Huntington Hospital. She was working at the bar as a security guard when the incident happened.

Police say they do not believe that the incident was random. There is still no word from police on a potential suspect at this time. Witnesses say a dispute inside the bar that continued outside may have led to the shooting.

Wednesday night, WSAZ worked to reach out to every member of Huntington City Council based on the contact information provided on the city’s website.

All members that we talked to declined to comment. Others did not return phone calls or text messages at the time of this publication.

Huntington City Council chairman Mark Bates said that he doesn’t want to speculate until council members have a report from HPD.

WSAZ also reached out to some members of the Huntington Board of Zoning Appeals. Members we reached declined to comment. One wasn’t aware of the shooting until our phone call.

The establishment was approved by the zoning board in the Summer of 2019. However the establishment did not have a liquor license, according to the state of West Virginia's Alcohol Beverage Control Administration. Without a liquor license the fate of the Kulture Hookah Bar remains in the hands of the city of Huntington.

WSAZ asked people at the establishment for comment Wednesday, but they declined.

We have new information about the owner of the bar involved in a mass shooting in Huntington.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charleston, the owner of Kulture Hookah Bar is Charon Chere Harris, also known as Charon Reese.

Investigators say she pleaded guilty in 2016 to maintaining a residence for the purpose of distributing heroin.

According to a news release from that time, Harris never lived in the apartment. She leased it to allow a man from Detroit to sell heroin there.

Harris was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

The shooting happened just before 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at Kulture Hookah Bar in the 1100 block of 4th Avenue. Police say the victims were both inside and outside the bar.

The seven victims were taken to the hospital either via personal vehicles or EMS. No fatalities have been reported, but the conditions of the victims has not been released.

The Associated Press reports that more than a dozen shell casings were found outside the bar and in a parking lot across the street. About 50 people were inside the bar when police arrived.

No arrests have been made at this time

While police have not released the names or conditions of the seven victims of a New Year’s Day bar shooting in downtown Huntington, one of the victim’s mothers shared her story.

Bonnie Williams tells us her daughter, 29-year-old Elizabeth Wells, was shot. Williams was understandably emotional talking about the possibility of losing her daughter.

Although it looks like Elizabeth is going to be OK, it was a terrifying morning for Williams and her family.

She got a call around 3 a.m. Wednesday that there had been a shooting at Kulture Hookah bar in the 1100 block of 4th Avenue. Williams explained that her daughter Elizabeth was working security there that night.

"I felt so darn weak,” Williams said. “My mind's still racing. It was racing then. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy at all. Because this is not no feeling a parent should have to go through."

Some of Williams’ questions were answered when she called the hospital. Her daughter had been shot in the stomach and was out of surgery, listed in stable condition.

“I'm still in shock,” Williams said. “I'm pretty sure the other victims' families are in the same condition. I haven't been asleep yet since 3 or 3:30 ... so."

That shock was felt by several other families as Huntington Police confirmed six others had been shot.

Their names and conditions have not been released, but no fatalities have been reported.

“We could have lost our children this morning, on New Year’s,” Williams said.

While it’s not the start of the new year she had hoped for, she has faith it will be filled with healing and strength.

"We're going to pull through this,” Williams said. “We're going to pull through it. One day at a time, one step at a time.”

Williams also told us her daughter was conscious and talking – feeling very lucky to be alive.

The Associated Press reports that more than a dozen shell casings were found outside the bar and in a parking lot across the street. About 50 people were inside the bar when police arrived.

Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.

Mayor Steve Williams has released a statement following the mass shooting at a Huntington bar early Wednesday morning.

"Any incident of this nature in the downtown or in any of our neighborhoods is unacceptable and will not be tolerated," Mayor Williams said.

"We are waiting for law enforcement investigators to provide more complete information about this incident before we determine the next steps."

The shooting happened just before 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at Kulture Hookah Bar in the 1100 block of 4th Avenue. Police say the victims were both inside and outside the bar.

The seven victims were taken to the hospital either via personal vehicles or EMS. No fatalities have been reported, but the conditions of the victims has not been released.

Family of one of the victims tell us her name is Elizabeth Wells. She is 29.

No arrests have been made at this time.

A city spokesman released the following statement later Wednesday afternoon:

"The Police Department is continuing its investigation into the shooting at Kulture. This investigation includes all licenses and permits. Various facets of the investigation are continuing to evolve and when we have updated information, we will advise the media of these findings."

Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.

Huntington Police confirm seven people were shot early Wednesday morning in a mass shooting at a bar.

The shooting happened at Kulture Hookah Bar a little before 1:30 Wednesday morning. Some of the victims were inside, others outside the bar in the 1100 block of 4th Ave.

Witnesses say a dispute inside the bar that continued outside may have led to the shooting. Police do not believe it was a random act.

The seven victims were taken to the hospital either via personal vehicles or EMS. No fatalities have been reported, but the conditions of the victims has not been released.

No arrests have been made.

Keep checking the WSAZ App for the latest information.

At least four and possibly five people have been shot inside a Huntington bar.

Interim Police Chief Ray Cornwell says some of the injuries are serious. The shooting happened about 1:30 Wednesday morning at Kulture Hookah Bar in the 1100 block of 4th Avenue.

Chief Cornwell says several victims were taken to the hospital in private cars, while others were taken by ambulance.

Evidence markers are visible across 4th Ave. from the bar and on the street immediately in front. The WSAZ crew at the scene reports the door to the bar had been shattered.

Keep clicking on the WSAZ App for the latest information.

At least two people have been shot during New Year's festivities at a Huntington bar.

The shooting happened a little after 1:30 Wednesday morning in the 1100 block of 4th Ave, outside Kulture Hookah Bar.

A security guard at the bar tells our crew at the scene two people were shot. One of the victims is a security guard.

Huntington Police have not commented on the shooting.

WSAZ has a crew at the scene. Keep clicking the WSAZ App for the latest information.