Prof. Killed At Delta State Univ. Fellow Teacher Sought

14 Sep, 2015

A Mississippi college professor was shot and killed in his campus office on Monday, and police said a fellow Delta State University teacher was “a person of interest” in the shooting.

Authorities said they were searching for geography and social science instructor Shannon Lamb in connection with the killing of Ethan Schmidt, an assistant professor of American history.

Lamb was also a suspect in the killing of a woman in Mississippi earlier on Monday, police said.

The shooting left students and staff at the Cleveland, Mississippi, school on edge for several hours as police locked down the campus and searched buildings following reports of active gunfire.

Cleveland Police Chief Charles “Buster” Bingham told an afternoon news conference that authorities did not believe Lamb was still on the campus, which is near the Arkansas-Mississippi state line.

The killing was the latest in a series of shootings on U.S. college campuses in recent weeks, including deadly incidents at Sacramento City College in California, Texas Southern University and Georgia’s Savannah State University.

Bingham would not comment on Lamb’s possible connection to Schmidt.

Lamb was also being sought in an earlier shooting in Gautier, a town 300 miles (480 km) south of Delta State on the Mississippi Gulf coast.

Gautier police detective Matt Hoggatt said Lamb, 45, was wanted in connection with the death of Amy Prentiss, 41, with whom he shared a home.

He said Lamb was last seen driving a black 2011 Dodge Avenger with license plates from Stone County in south Mississippi.

Local media reported that Lamb called Gautier police to report the killing.

Delta State officials said no students were injured in the campus shooting, which occurred in Jobe Hall, which houses the Division of Social Sciences and History.

All classes at Delta State were canceled on Monday, as well as Tuesday, when events had been planned to commemorate the university’s 90th anniversary.

The slain professor earned a doctorate in early American history and Native American history from the University of Kansas and taught for six years at Texas Tech University before joining the faculty at Delta State, according to his school biography.

More than 4,000 students are enrolled in the public university, 120 miles (195 km) northwest of Jackson, Mississippi.

Reuters

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