West Virginia man allegedly chased family with ax: ‘I had to kill them to get the demons out’

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A West Virginia man was arrested last week after he allegedly chased his parents while wielding an ax and a bow and arrow, telling deputies that he "had to kill them to get the demons out," according to a local report.

Johnny Carson York Jr., 45, allegedly tried to hurt his family members on Friday at their home in Bramwell, a small town near the state’s southern border with Virginia, FOX59 in West Virginia reported.

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As deputies with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department were responding to the call, an emergency dispatcher alerted them that the situation escalated and York was now trying to shoot them with a bow and arrow, according to the station.

Deputies said that York told authorities "I had to kill them to get the demons out" and "I feel like I have to kill everyone I see." (West Virginia Regional Jail)

Deputies arrived and reportedly learned from a family member that York had been asked to put away some items in a shed before it started to rain. York then allegedly threw a lighter at the family member and chased both with a maul.

The parents were able to hide and call 911, which is when they said York tried to shoot them with the bow and arrow. 

The family members told deputies that they both had taken out a Domestic Violence Prevention Order against York after he broke a TV in the home earlier that day, but that the order had not yet been served, the station reported.

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Following York’s arrest, he allegedly told authorities at the county sheriff’s department that "I had to kill them to get the demons out" and "I feel like I have to kill everyone I see."

York was booked into the Southern Regional Jail on charges of malicious assault, brandishing and destruction of property, according to online jail records.