A man who authorities say may have been unhinged by the death of his ailing mother went on a house-to-house shooting rampage in a small town in the Missouri Ozarks, killing seven people before taking his own life.
The victims, plus an eighth person who was wounded, were found late Thursday or early Friday in four homes in Tyrone, a no-stoplight cluster of homes about 40 miles north of the Arkansas line.
Who are the victims?
Some of the victims in the shootings have been identified. They are:
- GaroldDeeAldridge, 52
- Julie AnnAldridge, 47
- Harold WayneAldridge, 50
- JanellArlisaAldridge, 48
MSHP said four of the dead were cousins ofAldridge's.Three other victims who died, and one who was wounded but is expected to survive, have not yet been identified until relatives are notified.
An elderly woman identified as Alice L.Aldridge, 74, identified as Aldridge's mother, was found dead, apparently of natural causes, officials said.
Who is the shooter?
The shooter has been identified as Joseph Jesse Aldridge, 36, of Tyrone, Missouri. He is the son of Alice Aldridge, who is believed to have died of natural causes, said the MSHP in a news release.
He carried out the killings with a .45-caliber handgun Thursday night or early Friday at four homes in Tyrone, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
The 36-year-old gunman was discovered in a vehicle in a neighboring county, dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Kinder said.
How did the situation begin?
An MSHP news release said the Texas County Sheriff's Department responded to a female caller around 10:15 p.m. Thursday. She said she had heard gunshots in the residence and then quickly fled to call for authorities at a neighbor's house. Deputies found two dead bodies at the residence.
Further investigation revealed five additional victims in three more Tyrone residences. The release said one additional victim was injured, and ambulances transported him to an area hospital for at least one gunshot wound.
Why do authorities believe the killings took place?
Texas County Coroner TomWhittaker told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that before the gunman was discovered dead, authorities found his mother dead of apparent natural causes on a couch at her home. She had been under a doctor's care and appeared to have been dead at least 24 hours, the coroner said.
Whittaker said investigators were still gathering evidence, but he speculated that the son "came home and found her deceased and then for whatever reason went on a rampage and started killing people."
The Shannon County Sheriff's Department said MSHP called around 5:20 a.m. Friday requesting a coroner for a suicide in connection to a dead body found in a vehicle on Highway WW in Summersville, Mo. They said the body was a 36-year-old man, and the highway patrol indicated this was the apparent suspect.
In a news conference at 9 a.m. Friday at the Texas County Justice Center in Houston, Mo., Sgt. Jeff Kinder of the Missouri State Highway Patrol recapped the news release and answered a few questions, but much of the information surrounding the incident remains unclear.
"It's not natural to see that sort of thing. I'm sure officers were just as shocked as the people in this room," said Kinder.
Kinder said authorities are investigating six total crime scenes, including the home of the elderly woman and the site on the highway where the suspect was found dead.
Gov. Jay Nixon provided a statement on the shooting deaths, which read:
This is a horrific tragedy, and our hearts go out to the victims of these senseless acts and their families. The Missouri State Highway Patrol has been on site and assisting local law enforcement since the initial call late last night and will continue to assist local law enforcement agencies. Our Department of Mental Health has also contacted the local community mental health center to ensure that crisis intervention services will be provided to students in the area, and that counseling and other services will continue to be available to citizens in need. I ask all Missourians to join us in sending thoughts and prayers to the victims, their families and loved ones.
Source: http://www.kshb.com/news/state/missouri/nine-are-dead-including-shooter-in-apparent-string-of-homicides-near-tyrone-mo
