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 All of those killed by the gunman, identified as Joseph Aldridge,
36, lived within a few miles of each other in the tiny community of
Tyrone, an unincorporated area with a population of about 50,
authorities said.
Authorities said the motive was unclear and declined to comment on
whether the murders had been triggered by the death of Aldridge's
mother, who was found at her home. Authorities said she may have
died from natural causes.
"It's heartbreaking," said Todd Haley, senior pastor at Ozark
Baptist Church, about three miles from Tyrone. "Anytime you see
families that go to this level of violence, it's a shame."
The events, which police said were spread over six crime scenes,
began unfolding around 10 p.m. on Thursday when a girl called 911
from a neighbor's home.
A man who declined to be identified told a Reuters photographer that
a teenaged girl in a nightgown came to his house, running barefoot
through a snowy wooded area and crying that her parents had been
shot. They called police and law enforcement officials found her
parents dead at their home.
Authorities said they later discovered five other people dead and a
wounded woman in three other houses. The woman, who is expected to
recover, gave them information about the shooter, Texas County
Sheriff James Sigman said.
Four of the victims were identified as Garold Aldridge, 52, his wife
Julie Aldridge, 47, Harold Aldridge, 50, and his wife Janell
Aldridge, 48.
Authorities would not identify the other victims, but the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch reported that they were Carey Shriver and his wife
Valirea Shriver, and Carey's father Darrell Shriver. Darrell's wife
Martha was wounded but survived, the paper said.
The Shrivers are members of a prominent family that has lived in the
area for generations and operates several businesses, including a
cabinet making shop, a cattle ranch and an auto dealership.
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There was no sign of forced entry in any of the houses, Sigman said,
adding that the killings had shattered a sense of safety in the
town. "Start locking your doors. The world is changing. You got to
be safe," he said.
Authorities said an autopsy would be done on Saturday on the body of
Joseph Aldridge's 74-year-old mother, Alice Aldridge.
Joseph Aldridge's body was discovered with a self-inflicted gunshot
wound in a pickup truck parked on a highway in nearby Shannon
County, authorities said. Sigman said Aldridge had a minor criminal
history.
Tyrone is about 160 miles southwest of St. Louis, near the Mark
Twain National Forest, in an area that attracts hunters, campers,
and river rafters. Texas County where Tyrone is located has a
population of roughly 24,000 people.
"Everybody knows everybody here. We all cry together," said Scott
Dill, superintendent of the Houston School district in Texas County.
Charles Smith, who lives a few miles from the shootings, said the
Aldridge family seemed like good people. "They would help you out
when they could, just like we all do down here in the country," he
said.
(Reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City, additional reporting by
Kevin Murphy in Kansas City and Jon Herskovitz in Dallas; Editing by
Jeffrey Benkoe and Michael Perry)
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