February 11, 2009 2:37 PM
- Text
Cops: Man Kills Ex-Wife, Self In Mo. Mall
(AP)
A man recently divorced from his wife of more than 20 years shot and killed her inside a suburban St. Louis mall on Wednesday before committing suicide, police said.
No one else was injured but the Jamestown Mall in Florissant was evacuated.
The shooter was 49 and his ex-wife was 47, but their names had not been released, St. Louis County police spokeswoman Tracy Panus said. Panus said they both lived in the nearby suburb of Hazelwood and had been married more than 20 years with grown children before recently divorcing.
The motive for the shooting just outside the Sears store had not been determined, Panus said.
Marcus Gwynn said he heard four shots as he was walking into the mall to begin his shift at a Radio Shack store.
"I seen a lady on the ground face down, then he sits on the ground and shot himself in the head," said Gwynn, 21.
Deborah and Michael Mingo said they were shopping at Sears when they heard several shots. She said she asked a clerk about the noise and was told it was likely construction, but a short time later people in the store were telling them to get out.
Police tape was wrapped around the entrance to the food court near the scene of the shooting.
St. Louis County police Detective Mike Williams inspected a gray Ford Focus - the female victim's car - on the lot outside the Sears. Two of the tires were deflated, leading Williams to believe the shooter did not want the woman to flee.
Earlier, a distraught man told two reporters he and the victims were cousins. But police later said the victims were a recently divorced couple.
Calls seeking comment from officials of Sears and several other stores in that area of the mall were either unanswered or not returned.
A woman who answered phones in the mall office declined to comment.
Jamestown Mall is in far northern St. Louis County. It has about 60 stores and restaurants. It was not immediately clear when it would reopen.
No one else was injured but the Jamestown Mall in Florissant was evacuated.
The shooter was 49 and his ex-wife was 47, but their names had not been released, St. Louis County police spokeswoman Tracy Panus said. Panus said they both lived in the nearby suburb of Hazelwood and had been married more than 20 years with grown children before recently divorcing.
The motive for the shooting just outside the Sears store had not been determined, Panus said.
Marcus Gwynn said he heard four shots as he was walking into the mall to begin his shift at a Radio Shack store.
"I seen a lady on the ground face down, then he sits on the ground and shot himself in the head," said Gwynn, 21.
Deborah and Michael Mingo said they were shopping at Sears when they heard several shots. She said she asked a clerk about the noise and was told it was likely construction, but a short time later people in the store were telling them to get out.
Police tape was wrapped around the entrance to the food court near the scene of the shooting.
St. Louis County police Detective Mike Williams inspected a gray Ford Focus - the female victim's car - on the lot outside the Sears. Two of the tires were deflated, leading Williams to believe the shooter did not want the woman to flee.
Earlier, a distraught man told two reporters he and the victims were cousins. But police later said the victims were a recently divorced couple.
Calls seeking comment from officials of Sears and several other stores in that area of the mall were either unanswered or not returned.
A woman who answered phones in the mall office declined to comment.
Jamestown Mall is in far northern St. Louis County. It has about 60 stores and restaurants. It was not immediately clear when it would reopen.
Latest Now in National
- Celebs mourn Whitney Houston at Clive Davis event
- The nation's weather
- Whitney Houston fans pay emotional tribute
- Hudson to honor Houston at Grammys
- Man to face Alabama trial in wife's diving death
- Whitney Houston's final performance
- Remembering Whitney Houston 1963-2012
- Screenplay for Murder
- Extra: Jimmy Siokos on Mark Twitchell
- Extra: Chris Heward's bizarre experience
- Extra: Drive with a killer
- Whitney Houston dies at 48
- Evening News Online, 02.11.12
- Video: Whitney Houston's ups and downs
- Chicago to design vehicle sticker itself
- US sex abuse lawsuit against Vatican dismissed
- American flight makes emergency landing in Ky.
Latest CBS News Headlines
on Facebook
on CBS News
- Thousands rally to support disbarred Spanish judge
- Injured boomers beware: Know when to see doctor
- 5 bankers arrested in UK tax inquiry
- UK gov't: Press must face tougher penalties
on Facebook
- Whitney Houston 1963-2012
- Adele sings a cappella for Anderson Cooper
- Remembering Whitney Houston 1963-2012
on CBS News






