Eight people were found shot to death at separate locations in Texas County, Missouri, after a suspected lone gunman went on a killing spree, police said Friday morning.
Among the eight dead was the suspected gunman, a 36-year-old, the Houston Herald reported. Police also found an elderly woman dead at her residence- bringing the number of fatalities in one day to nine- however, she appears to have died of natural causes.
Missouri State Highway Patrol said Texas County sheriffs were called to the first crime scene at around 10:15 p.m. Thursday by a terrified girl who said she heard gunshots at a home in Tyrone, the newspaper reported. The child fled to a neighbor's house and police arrived to find two people dead at her residence.
The Texas County Sheriff's Department responded to at least three more crime scenes, all in Tyrone.
The department said in a statement that after further investigation, they found five additional victims who were deceased, along with one additional victim in three additional residences.
Police arrived at another residence and found the body of an elderly woman who apparently died of natural causes.
At this time, police have not released the names of any of the people involved.
A 36-year-old man, believed to be the shooter, was found dead in a parked car in Shannon County, the Houston Herald reported. He apparently fatally shot himself.
Texas County officials are expected to release more information later Friday.
