Missouri Sniper Killed

Michael Boone heard the gunshots and saw the terrified people running for the safety of his grocery store. Then he saw the sniper striding toward the store and the bodies in the street.

"We just heard all kinds of gunfire and people were running inside the store for cover," Boone said. "We tried to move them all to the back where they could be safe, but people were really scared."

Police examine body of sniper, shot and killed near Calvary Baptist Church CBS

Witnesses said the gunman shook his rifle as if taunting his victims before exchanging fire with police Tuesday evening. He was shot and killed as he stepped from behind a tree near the Calvary Baptist Church.

Witnesses told police the man began firing from the window of an apartment building, then walked on to the street and began shooting randomly at people as he walked toward the church, Lt. Jim Connors said.

"I think he was firing randomly," Connors said. "I just don't think he cared what was in front of his gun."

Police were using fingerprints to identify the gunman, who carried no identification and was dressed in camouflage pants.

Officer Bradley Arn, 27, was the first officer to respond to the scene and was shot as soon as he got out of his car, authorities said. The gunman apparently fired several times at his squad car. A shot went through the right rear window and struck the father of 3-year-old twins in the head.

When more officers pulled up across the street, the gunman "turned and started shaking his rifle and he was yelling some antics, like 'nah, nah'," said Connie Cox, who heard the gunfire from her home.

The gunman, carrying a semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun, several rounds of ammunition and a knife strapped to his waist, had turned a busy intersection near downtown St. Joseph into a shooting gallery.

The wounded bystanders were identified as Valerie Sharp, 28, who was stable after being hit in the eye by shrapnel; Jack Martin, 57, who underwent surgery after being hit in the abdomen, chest and forearm; and Kenny Cordonnier, who was treated for a bullet wound to his arm and released.

"None of the victims seemed to be related," Connors said. "People were just going about their daily routine in St. Joe when he started shooting."

St. Joseph is a city of 70,000 people 54 miles north of Kansas City.

By BRADLEY BROOKS
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