An intentional fire, which sent one woman to the hospital in "grave condition" on Sunday, was allegedly meant for a different target.
Lt. Steve Cooper, chief of detectives for the Charleston Police Department, discussed the case on "580 Live" with Charleston Mayor Danny Jones on Tuesday.
He said the suspect, Carl Magee, meant to set a man on fire as he slept on the porch of an abandoned home in the city's West Side.
While on the show, Cooper did not specify who the man was. He previously said David Barrett was on the porch with the victim.
Barrett was sleeping next to Rachel Jarrett at the abandoned home on Randolph Street, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.
They woke up as Magee poured gasoline on their mattress, according to the complaint. Barrett escaped, but flames soon engulfed Jarrett.
A neighbor's surveillance camera recorded a video of Magee walking onto the porch with a gas can. A fire then erupts, and Jarrett runs off the porch, still on fire.
Police circulated an image from the surveillance camera. They also released a surveillance image of Magee at Union Mission's Crossroads Shelter from the night before.
Along with the fire on Randolph Street, Magee is also accused of trying and failing to start a fire on Wyoming Street.
Cooper said Magee targeted someone at the second home, and the investigation is ongoing.
On Monday evening, the mayor announced a $2,500 reward for information that might lead to Magee's arrest.
His location and identity remained unknown until Kanawha City residents reported several break-ins that night, Cooper said on the radio program.
Homeowners said Magee may have stolen a gun, putting authorities on edge, Cooper said. It was later learned Magee had no firearms.
"I thought, 'We have to get this guy,'" Cooper said. "'He's turning into just a one-man crime wave.'"
Cooper said on the show that Sgt. James "Tyke" Hunt found an abandoned bike at an apartment complex on Chesterfield Avenue.
Believing Magee may have stolen a bike, police then searched the complex. They later discovered someone let Magee into an apartment.
"They didn't realize who they were dealing with," Cooper said, "and so they were being friendly with him, and he had kind of just charmed his way in."
He said officers heard Magee run out the back door, and a chase soon followed.
"As soon as they put the cuffs on him, he said, 'I'm glad you caught me,' " Cooper said.
Magee allegedly identified himself in the surveillance images. He also admitted to lighting Jarrett on fire, the criminal complaint states.
Cooper said during the radio show that Magee - a California man who is now homeless - has been to Alaska, Arkansas and Ohio.
He came to West Virginia after a relative told him there was money to be made as a drug dealer, Cooper said.
Police charged Magee with attempted murder, first-degree arson and malicious wounding. He remained at South Central Regional Jail in lieu of a $500,000 bail on Tuesday afternoon.
Before his arraignment on Monday, Magee denied the accusations against him. He said an "older gentleman" knocked over a gas can.
Magee claimed the person created an altar for the purpose of doing "something very demonic."
"This act right here: I don't know if it was voodoo, witchcraft or what," he said.
Reporter Ryan Quinn contributed to this report.
Reach Giuseppe Sabella at giuseppe.sabella@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or follow @Gsabella on Twitter.