Felon Who Riddled Parkersburg Residence With Bullets Sentenced To 6 ½ Years In Federal Prison

Shaun Linko opened fire on a Lynn Street residence in Parkersburg

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg felon who opened fire on a Parkersburg residence in September 2012 using an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle was sentenced today to six and a half years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin.  Twenty-six-year-old Shaun Michael Linko previously pleaded guilty in April to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston in Charleston.   

On September 19, 2012, police responded to a report of shots fired in the vicinity of 1122 Lynn Street.  Upon their arrival, officers with the Parkersburg Police Department observed a large quantity of spent shell casings from a semi-automatic rifle in the street, along with apparent bullet holes in the exterior of the residence at 1122 Lynn Street in Parkersburg.  A short time later, Wood County deputy sheriffs observed a GMC Jimmy SUV parked at the 7th Street Park and Ride, located in close proximity to Lynn Street.  As deputies approached the vehicle, they observed an ammunition box lying on the ground beside the driver’s side door of the vehicle.  Police officers ordered the driver, Shaun Michael Linko, and a female passenger to exit the vehicle. 

Linko, who was arrested, told police that he shot at the 1122 Lynn Street residence using the AK-47.  Officers recovered the rifle and loose ammunition from the defendant’s vehicle.
Linko was previously convicted in March 2010 of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance in the Circuit Court of Wood County.  The defendant did not have his rights to possess a firearm restored. 

The investigation was conducted by the Parkersburg Police Department, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks handled the prosecution. 

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.