Missouri State Police are saying the events leading to the discovery of the bodies started about 10:15 p.m. Thursday night when the Texas County Sheriff’s Department requested assistance with a disturbance involving a weapon at a home in the town of Tyrone. A juvenile had called 911 reporting she was in the home and reportedly heard gunshots.
When Texas County Sheriffs’s deputies arrived at the home, they found two deceased people at the residence. Further investigation found five additional people dead and one person wounded in three additional homes. One other person reported to be elderly was also found deceased but of apparent natural causes.
The alleged suspect in the case, a 36-year-old Tyrone man was found dead in a vehicle in Shanon County from what looked to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The apparent motive for the shootings is not known at this time, and the investigation is continuing. Investigators also say it is unknown at this time how the deceased in this case were related.
“We’re currently working six active scenes including the location in Shannon County where the suspect was found deceased, ” Sergeant Jeff Kinder of the Missouri State Highway Patrol told reporters on Friday morning.
Houston School District Superintendent Scott Dill expressed shock this morning saying the small community is very upset. “My students and my teachers are very upset. I have a lot of very upset children,” Dill said. “Everybody knows everybody here. We all cry together.” The school district has about 1,100 students.
The identities of the victims and the apparent shooter will not be released until all next-of-kin have been notified.