Delta State University Shooting: Professor Allegedly Kills Colleague, Partner and Self
In a bizarre chain of events, a Delta State University Professor suspected of killing his colleague (another professor at the university) as well as his live-in partner, killed himself late Monday, September 14th.
Ethan Schmidt, 39, a History Professor at Delta State, Cleveland was allegedly shot dead at his University office desk by the suspect Shannon Lamb, 45, a Geography and Social Science Professor at the same University. The shooting took place on Monday, September 14th. The campus was locked down thereafter and search was on for Lamb, reported CNN.
Adding to the mystery, Lamb's domestic partner, Amy Prentiss, 41, was also found dead at the home the couple shared in Gautier, Mississippi, a coastal city about 300 miles away from Delta State. According to Fox News, the killings are assumed to be connected and the result of a love triangle, but motive for the crime hasn't been formally established yet.
As reported by The Guardian, Lynn Buford, chief of the Delta State University police, told the Associated Press that Lamb who was suspected of the double homicide, was driving his car late Monday and was being followed by the Police in Greenville, Mississippi. Midway, the professor apparently jumped out of the car and took off by foot. The police gave chase, followed by which Lamb shot himself and was subsequently pronounced dead at a nearby hospital in Greenville on account of the self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Though the lockdown has been lifted, Delta State is yet to fully recover from these sudden misshapen events. Counseling is being offered. According to The Guardian, the University President William LaForge told the Associated Press that no classes would be held on Tuesday, September 15th and that the students, faculty and staff were invited to take part in a candlelight vigil that would be held inside the campus on Tuesday evening in honor of Ethan Schmidt.
