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Funerals set in three W.Va. shooting victims

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Funerals were set for three of four West Virginia people who were fatally shot in north-central West Virginia by a lone gunman.

Morgantown-area funeral homes Wednesday released some information on the victims and Friday services:

• Douglas Brady, 45, owned a towing business in his hometown of Westover. Married with two children, Brady was dedicated to his family and especially looked forward to family vacations to places such as Disney World, according to his obituary. McCulla Funeral Home in Westover said services will be held at 11 a.m. at the funeral home.

• Jody Taylor, 43, of Morgantown, enjoyed hunting and making deer jerky. He worked a variety of jobs and was most recently employed as a coal miner. He previously drove a tow truck, laid carpet and “hung drywall like it was nothing,” according to his obituary. Taylor’s funeral is at 2 p.m. at Riverside Apostolic Church in Morgantown.

• Michael Frum, 28, had three children, “was a loving father, son, and brother whose family meant everything to him,” according to a statement from Hastings Funeral Home in Morgantown. His service is set for 11 a.m. at the funeral home.

• Sharon Kay Berkshire, 39, “was a caring person with a heart of gold,” according to a statement from Hastings. Her visitation will be held on Sunday. Information on her funeral was incomplete.

Police said all four were fatally shot by 39-year-old Jody Lee Hunt, who then killed himself.

The shootings began Monday morning with Hunt settling a professional grudge. For the past couple of months, he was complaining to county officials that towing operators, including his rival Brady, were poaching jobs, said Monongalia County commissioner Tom Bloom.

Police said Hunt drove over to Doug’s Towing and shot Brady twice while he was working in his garage.

Hunt next drove next to a home his ex-girlfriend, Berkshire, was renting with Frum, her new boyfriend, said Monongalia County Sheriff Kenneth “Al” Kisner, and killed them both, police said.

He then drove back across town and killed his business partner and cousin Taylor, who also may have been romantically involved with Berkshire at some point, police said.

The shootings set off a 12-hour manhunt that ended Monday night when Hunt’s body was found in his pickup truck in some woods.

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