By Denise Hollinshed
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Friday, Sep. 18 2009
Updated 11:13 a.m.
ST. LOUIS -- A woman's ex-boyfriend gunned her down on a south St. Louis street
this morning in front of the woman's four children. The man then killed himself.
The shooting happened a few minutes after 8 a.m. today at an apartment building
in the 2800 block of Park Avenue in St. Louis. The woman already had an order
of protection prohibiting her ex-boyfriend from coming near her, police said.
But, she could not get off work Thursday to make the order permanent, her
father said.
The woman's father, Ty Amerson, of Kirkwood, said that his daughter, Melissa
Amerson, 26, was shot to death as she was loading her four children into a
green minivan outside her apartment this morning. Her ex-boyfriend, Rodney
Morris, then killed himself.
Murder victim Melissa Amerson
Ty Amerson said that he was at home when his 10-year-old granddaughter called
to tell him that her mother had been shot to death by Morris, who then shot
himself. All four children were near their mother when she was killed. None of
them were harmed.
Ty Amerson said that his daughter had dated Morris for about five years.
Melissa had just celebrated her birthday two days ago, her father said.
"They have been having problems, she took out a restraining order," said Ty
Amerson.
Ty Amerson said that his daughter worked at the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
in St. Louis. She was going to work when the shooting took place. She had just
placed the children in the van.
St. Louis homicide detectives got to the home about 8:20 a.m. and found the
body of Melissa Amerson crumpled outside her green minivan. About 30 feet away,
in Amerson's back yard, was Morris' body.
Neighbors said they had heard multiple gunshots and called police.
The apartment is at the intersection of Ewing and Park avenues. It is also near
the Hodgen School playground and the Interstate 44 and South Jefferson Avenue
intersection.
Police Lt. Ed Kuehner confirmed that the man shot the woman, then shot himself.
Neighbors said that in the past few days, they had seen Morris driving his
black truck around the neighborhood.
Aaron Foster, 37, lives in the same apartment building as Melissa Amerson. He
has known her for the two years that she lived there with her children.
Foster said that Morris had battered Melissa in the past. He said that last
month, Morris beat Melissa in front of the neighbors. This morning, Foster
said, he saw Morris arguing with Melissa in front of her four children as she
put the kids in her van. Foster said that he then heard gunshots and saw
Melissa's body slumped in the van.
"The kids were screaming and yelling," Foster said.
Foster said he hurried the children into his own apartment. Morris "took the
gun and pointed it toward me, then he took it back and shot himself in the
head," Foster said.
Foster, a former emergency medical technician, said that Melissa was shot in
the head, chest and arm. He said that the position of Melissa's body showed
that she had been shot in the back.
"She was in a jovial mood this week because we were going to go out to
celebrate her birthday," Foster said.
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