MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (KDKA) — A young mother is dead and her father-in-law has been taken into police custody following a shooting in the parking lot of a Walmart in Morgantown, W. Va.
Authorities say the victim, identified as 29-year-old Shannon Stafford, was on her way to meet up with a family member to do some shopping when the shooting happened.
It was just before 10 a.m. Saturday when the parking lot became the scene of the deadly shooting.
“There was a man out in the parking lot shooting, and they were locking the store down,” said Cherie Johnson, a customer at the store. “Nobody was allowed in or out.”
According to Morgantown Police Chief Ed Preston, the suspect has been identified as 54-year-old Larry Mitchell, Stafford’s father-in-law.
“He shot her several times as she sat in her vehicle,” said Chief Preston. “Stafford exited her vehicle as Mitchell continued to fire until she fell and collapsed.”
According to police, Mitchell then went back to his truck. But before he could take off, officials say several Good Samaritans held Mitchell down until police got there.
“He was basically admitting to it, the shooting; and once we got over there, we ordered him to the ground and we tried to tell him to be quiet,” said David Frischknecht, a witness.
Officers credit those who held Mitchell for their heroics, saying their efforts were critical in this case.
“This is one of those cases where who knows where we’d be right now had they not done that,” said Chief Preston.
Officers say others were also trying to help Stafford when they arrived, but the mother of one was dead. They say Mitchell’s son was currently divorcing Stafford, and that an ongoing domestic dispute may have prompted the deadly shooting.
Mitchell is facing charges of murder and is being held in the Doddridge Regional Jail in W. Va.
Authorities say they’re looking into how Mitchell knew Stafford was going to Walmart, but believe that he acted alone.
1 comment:
This comment is from an eye witness that was on the scene (me); as you read the various news stories being reported about this tragic incident one thing you will most certainly not be told is how the father the young woman that was killed held her little two year old baby in his arms and forced her to see the execution of her mother as it unfolded. This is one thing that this article fails to mention as do all of them in regards to this case. There is so much more to this story than what has been reported here on this site! As I am sure there always is in any case like this. I encourage the readers of this article and my comment to become much more familiar with this story.....we need help from such people like Nancy Grace to get to the bottom of this and broadcast this story. When you learn of everything that has happened it will enrage you to know that even after the police got to the scene they let the son of the shooter go with Shannon's baby when she should have been taken immediately into protective care....also, how the justice system involved in handling the divorce and child custody issue have allowed the child transfer to take place unsupervised....that is not to happen when there is such a hotly contested custody battle as this was. Now a woman lays dead because of her faith in the legal system that failed her.....and how ironic that it is also the name her two year old baby (Faith) that was forced to watch her die in the middle of a parking lot as Grandpa stood over here and pumped her body full of bullets. Shannon died for her Faith.
Post a Comment