Shannon Lamb, Delta State University Shooter, Dead Of Self-Inflicted Gunshot, Told Police ‘I’m Not Going To Jail’
Shannon Lamb, the man wanted by police in connection with the deaths of a Delta State University professor, and a church outreach minister, died late Monday after shooting himself in the head.
According to the Daily Mail, 45-year-old “geography of crime” professor Shannon Lamb found himself in the midst of a love triangle between himself, his 41-year-old girlfriend, Amy Prentiss, and fellow Delta State professor, 39-year-old Ethan Schmidt. Around 6 a.m. Monday morning, Lamb allegedly shot Prentiss — an outreach minister at Oasis Church — in their home in Gautier, Mississippi, and then drove the 300 miles to Delta State university. At around 10:20 a.m. Lamb contacted police to alert them of Prentiss’ death, after which he confronted Schmidt in the assistant history professor’s office. At roughly 10:45 a.m. local time, Shannon Lamb reportedly opened fire on Schmidt, killing the married father of three with two gunshots to the head.
Shortly after Lamb fired the shots at the university, the Delta State Twitter account sent out a tweet, alerting students and faculty that an active shooter was on campus, and stating that the university was on lockdown.
SCHOOLCAST: An active shooter has been spotted on campus near Jobe Hall. Please take immediate lock down action.
— Delta State University (@DeltaState) September 14, 2015
Shannon Lamb allegedly fled the Delta State campus in a Dodge Avenger registered to Prentiss, and took police on a 12-hour state-wide manhunt. At some point during the day, Lamb allegedly spoke with police, telling them that he “wasn’t going to jail.” Eventually, police cornered Lamb about 40 miles from the university, who then left his car and fled into a nearby forest. Before officers could locate him, they heard a single gunshot from the area of the forest in which Lamb had run. Shortly after, they discovered Shannon Lamb’s body, with a single — reportedly self-inflicted — gunshot wound to the head.
Though many media outlets are claiming Lamb’s motive to be a love triangle — reporting that he recently learned his girlfriend, Amy Prentiss, was also intimately involved with Ethan Schmidt — CNN reports that police have yet to release a motive, according to Cleveland Police Chief Charles Bingham.
“Right now we have no motive, and we’re not going to speculate on a motive until we have facts in hand.”
Shannon Lamb was originally from Munich, Germany, and previously taught geography at Mississippi Valley State University and Itawamba Community college before joining the Delta State faculty in 2009, where he’s taught graduate and undergraduate classes in geography and social sciences ever since. He obtained his Ph.D. from Delta State last year. Lamb leaves behind two teenaged children.
[Image Credit: Delta State University]
