Woman critical after report of shooting in Versailles
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A shooting led to Morgan County R-II schools in Versailles being placed on lockdown Monday morning, even though students were not in class, and left a woman in critical condition.
The district posted about the lockdown on its Facebook page, referencing a “shooting that occurred in town” earlier Monday in a statement written by Superintendent Bryan Pettengill. Students were not in class on Monday, but employees were in the buildings, which were locked down out of precaution.
Scheduled practices were canceled.
Versailles police said in a news release that they found an unconscious woman with a head wound when they responded to a shooting at about 7:30 a.m. in the 100 block of South Burke Street. Police say they don’t think there’s any danger to the public but the suspect is still not in custody.
Police say the shooter was wearing a pink hooded sweatshirt, gloves, mask and sunglasses. The victim is in critical condition.
Farrell and Marjorie Thompson, residents in the nearby neighborhood, said they heard commotion around 7:30 a.m., but were not sure what it was. The Thompsons described the area as typically quiet.
Another nearby resident, Shannon Teeple, said she was outside letting her dog out when she heard what she thought sounded like a gunshot. She knew something bad had happened when first responders arrived on the scene, but no one came around to tell people in the neighborhood what happened, or that the suspect was still not in custody. Teeple also said she plans to purchase cameras for her home after this incident.
Some local business owners in downtown Versailles, about one block away from where the shooting took place, also said police did not communicate with them that a shooting had happened.
The Lake of the Ozarks Major Case Squad is helping with the investigation.
An ABC 17 News reporter saw a GMC Terrain towed away from the scene just after 1:15 p.m. Monday. The area was cleared, and the surrounding streets were back open by 1:30 p.m.
Vocational and technical school students will continue classes as scheduled later Monday. Students will be escorted into the building after they get off the bus, the message states.
Details about the shooting were not immediately available.