The Latest: Professor killed self a mile from parents’ house

The latest on the college professor who is accused of killing his girlfriend and driving 300 miles to Delta State University to gun down a fellow professor in his campus office. The gunman, Shannon Lamb, took his own life Monday night as police closed in on him (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

A coroner says a .38-caliber pistol was recovered where a Delta State University teacher died from a single gunshot to the head after he is suspected of killing a colleague and his ex-girlfriend.

Washington County Coroner Methel Johnson said Tuesday that Shannon Lamb killed himself about a mile south of his parents’ house on the northern outskirts of Greenville.

Johnson says Lamb died in the wooded backyard of a home where he knew the residents, after abandoning his still running car.

She says Lamb’s body is being taken to the state crime lab in Pearl for autopsy.

A .38-caliber handgun was also used in the fatal shooting of Lamb’s colleague Ethan Schmidt.

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2:15 p.m.

Authorities say a Delta State University professor who was killed by a colleague on campus was shot three times with a handgun and appeared to be entering or leaving his office because he had a book bag on his shoulder.

Deputy Bolivar County Coroner Murray Roark said Tuesday that Ethan Schmidt was shot with a .38-caliber handgun. Fellow teacher Shannon Lamb is accused of killing Schmidt on Monday at Delta State.

Roark says Schmidt was shot in the neck, cheek and near the right eye in the doorway of his office, which is inside an office suite on the second floor of Jobe Hall.

Contractors were cleaning the office Tuesday, removing bloodstained items and ripping up carpet.

Authorities have not released a motive in the killing. Lamb is also accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend.

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1:50 p.m.

Police say they are still searching for a motive in the case of a Delta State University professor who is accused of killing his girlfriend and a colleague.

Gautier police said Tuesday that they believe Shannon Lamb killed his girlfriend, Amy Prentiss, at a home they shared in the small coastal town.

Detective Matt Hoggatt says there is no indication that drugs or alcohol played a role in the killing and that there was no history of criminal domestic violence at the home.

Lamb is also accused of killing fellow Delta State professor Ethan Schmidt. Hoggatt says at this point they don’t believe there was a relationship between Schmidt and Prentiss.

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1:40 p.m.

The Delta State University professor accused of killing a colleague and his girlfriend admitted to her slaying in a hand-written note and a 911 call.

Police released the note and a recording of the call Tuesday. In the call Monday morning, professor Shannon Lamb tells the dispatcher that police need to send officers over to his home. He says “I shot my wife last night” and also mentions that there is a “sweet dog” in the house that is “not going to bother anyone” but is likely upset.

Police asked the caller his name, but he doesn’t want to give it.

The 911 call was made about 45 minutes before Lamb is suspected of shooting fellow Delta State history professor Ethan Schmidt in his office. The shooting led to a campus lock down and manhunt.

After the shootings, Lamb called relatives and told them he was not going to jail.

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1:07 p.m.

Police in Mississippi say the man suspected of shooting two people Monday on opposite ends of the state called police after what’s believed to be the first shooting and said he’d shot and killed the woman he lived with.

Authorities in Gautier said Shannon Lamb called them around 10 a.m. Monday and said he had shot and killed someone. He did not provide an explanation.

When police got to the scene they found a handwritten note that said: “I am so sorry I wish I could take it back. I loved Amy and she is the only person who ever loved me.”

Lamb is accused of killing Amy Prentiss and a professor at Delta State University before eventually taking his own life late Monday.

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12:20 p.m.

A Delta State University student who attended a counseling session after a professor was slain on campus says he thinks some students may not return after the fatal shooting.

Sophomore Robert Holcomb said Tuesday that attending the counseling session was a chance to talk and share experiences about the campus shooting Monday. The 32-year-old international business major from Seattle says some people are having a harder time than others.

A professor at the school is accused of killing a colleague in his office on Monday. Shannon Lamb is also suspected of earlier killing his girlfriend at a home they shared about 300 miles from the school.

Police have not released a motive for either killing.

A vigil will be held on the campus Tuesday night and classes were set to resume Wednesday.

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11:30 a.m.

More than 70 students, faculty and staff are attending counseling sessions at Delta State University after one of the school’s professors was accused of fatally shooting a colleague on campus.

Dr. Richard Houston, the university’s director of counseling, said Tuesday that three large counseling sessions will be offered.

President William LaForge says the university is encouraging students to return to campus after officials say geography instructor Shannon Lamb shot history professor Ethan Schmidt in Schmidt’s on-campus office. Lamb is also accused of killing his girlfriend at their home 300 miles away. He killed himself as police closed in on him.

Delta State had planned to celebrate its 90th anniversary Tuesday — some of the festivities were even supposed to be in Jobe Hall where the shooting happened — but LaForge says that event will be rescheduled.

LaForge says he didn’t know of any conflict between Lamb and Schmidt but “obviously there was something in Mr. Lamb’s mind.”

A vigil was planned for 7 p.m. Tuesday and the university plans to resume classes Wednesday.

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10:40 a.m.

The college professor who is accused of killing his girlfriend and a colleague is being described by a longtime friend as smart, charismatic and funny.

Carla Hairston told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she and Shannon Lamb, the professor, grew up in the small city of Greenville, Mississippi.

Hairston remembered meeting Lamb through a mutual friend when she was 15 and he was 20. She said she and her friends were in high school, and he was the cool older guy who tried for several years to teach her to play guitar.

She says he was quite the heartthrob back then and all the girls would melt when he was around.

Hairston says when she wanted to be a rebellious teen and stay out late, Lamb made sure she and her friends went home by curfew. She said he was whip smart and would often quote song lyrics in conversation.

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