U.S. Marshals Offer $3,500 Reward for WV Fugitive Charged With Attempted Murder

Federal and state officers are asking folks in north-central West Virginia to keep their eyes open. The U.S. Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police are searching for Xander Ball, an 18-year-old charged with attempted murder, and the Marshals' Mountain State Fugitive Task Force is offering a $3,500 reward for information that leads to his arrest.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Ball escaped from a detention center in Wheeling on Oct. 10, 2026. He is accused of being involved in a shooting in Star City this past July that left a person critically injured.

Where investigators think he is

The Marshals Service believes Ball is still at large somewhere in the Morgantown and Clarksburg area. That puts the search right in the heart of Monongalia and Harrison counties, so neighbors from Star City to Bridgeport are being asked to stay alert.

What he looks like

Ball is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall and about 135 pounds, with brown hair and grey eyes. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie and black pants.

How to send a tip

Anyone with information is asked to call the U.S. Marshals Service at 304-350-6700, email [email protected], or call the Marshals' 24-hour tip line at 1-877-WANTED2 (1-877-926-8332). Tips can also be submitted through the U.S. Marshals Service website, and tipsters can remain anonymous.

If you think you've spotted him, the safest move is to call it in and let law enforcement handle it rather than approaching him yourself.

The Mountain State Fugitive Task Force, led by the U.S. Marshals, works alongside West Virginia's state and local departments to track down people who try to avoid their charges by running. West Virginia Pulse will share any update on this search as soon as it's confirmed.