9/12/11 @ 5:28:14 pm
A man who had recently moved to Salem has been identified as the person believed to have entered an Effingham home and killing two people before turning the gun on himself. Effingham Police say 52-year-old Jerry Smith shot and killed his estranged wife Sharon Smith and her mother Dorothy McClelland before fatally shooting himself. The Smith's reportedly had been living together in Mason until last month. That's when Jerry Smith moved out and was staying with his parents on Fairview Drive just outside of Salem.
Sharon Smith had reportedly obtained an order of protection against Jerry Smith that was served in Marion County on August 24th and was extended in Effingham County Court on Friday. The Marion County Sheriff's Department assisted the Effingham Police Department in executing a search warrant on the home of Smith's parents Monday morning where some additional evidence was recovered.
Effingham Police responded to the home on South Willow Street at 8:41 Sunday night after receiving 9-1-1 calls about a man shooting a gun near the residence. When police arrived, they were met by children fleeing the residence. They later confirmed an additional adult, 44-year-old Todd Bowlin of Charleston, and three children, a 14-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, were present in the residence at the time of the shootings, but were not harmed. Effingham City Police Corporal Matt Sager termed Bowlin an acquaintance of Sharon Smith. All the children were said to be related to the deceased.
Sager said a rifle and handgun were recovered at the scene. Authorities believed Jerry Smith fired over 40 rounds. His truck was found a short distance away and Sager said there were several more rounds of ammunition found inside. Witnesses reported hearing two bursts of gunfire that some neighbors thought were fireworks going off.
Sharon Smith and Jerry Smith were pronounced dead at the residence at 10:49 Sunday night, while Dorothy McClelland was pronounced dead in the Emergency Department at St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham a short time later. Sager said no notes or other information have been found that indicated Jerry Smith's intentions. Autopsies on the three individuals were being conducted today in Springfield to officially determine the cause of death.
The home where Jerry Smith had been staying on Fairview Drive was only five houses down the street from where a husband and wife were found shot to death in their home off Oak Glen Drive earlier this month. Marion County State's Attorney Matt Wilzbach says that case is still open for investigation, but there is no indication anyone else was involved in the deaths other than the two found dead in the home. The sheriff's department says there is no connection between the two incidents.
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