In May 2016, Officer Stephen Mader responded to a domestic disturbance involving Ronald ‘R.J.’ Williams Jr., who was holding an unloaded handgun and appeared to be attempting ‘suicide by cop.’ Mader assessed that Williams was not an immediate threat and attempted to de-escalate the situation without using deadly force. However, two other officers arrived, and one fatally shot Williams when he raised his gun. Mader was subsequently fired in June 2016 for ‘failure to meet probationary standards’ and ‘apparent difficulties in critical incident reasoning.’ He filed a wrongful termination lawsuit, which was settled in February 2018 with the City of Weirton agreeing to pay Mader $175,000.
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