RA Perv Prof of the Week

[Don Dresden]

Perv Prof Shoots Perv Prof!

Victim, suspect ID'ed in Delta State campus shooting

Therese Apel, The Clarion-Ledger 2:28 p.m. CDT September 14, 2015


Delta State University history professor Ethan A. Schmidt(Photo: Delta State University)

2:24 p.m. update:

Delta State University put out a release saying the suspect is on the loose, and that they are not identifying him at this time.

Official information is being released on the hour from the command center at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Highway 8.

Classes have been canceled for the remainder of the day and Monday night, as well as 90th anniversary commemorative events set for Tuesday.

All faculty, staff and students who have been cleared from academic buildings are being moved to Sillers Coliseum. Students currently in residence halls should remain there. Campus administrators are working to get food, water and counselors to the Coliseum. Police are working to clear all campus buildings, and students, faculty and staff should stay where they are until they are escorted out.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A professor is dead and an active shooter is allegedly loose on the Delta State campus near Jobe Hall.
Bolivar County Coroner Dr. Nate Brown said the professor was shot, but could not give any further information at this time.

Authorities have confirmed that history professor Ethan Schmidt is the victim. He worked in Jobe Hall.
The Sun Herald is reporting that social sciences professor Shannon Lamb, a suspect in a shooting in Gautier, is allegedly tied to the shooting at DSU. Gautier Police Detective Matthew Hoggatt said the suspect left Gautier in a green SUV, and the car has been located at DSU. He said police at Delta State believe that vehicle belongs to their suspect.


Shannon Lamb (Photo: Delta State University website)

The victim in Gautier has not been identified pending notification of next of kin, but authorities told reporters that Lamb and the victim were romantically involved.

Cleveland Police Department confirmed the victim was taken by ambulance, and the suspect is on the loose. The campus is currently on lockdown. The Cleveland School District says all local schools are on lockdown.

Governor Phil Bryant has reached out to University officials, said spokeswoman Nicole Webb.
"Governor Bryant is in communication with President LaForge and with Department of Public Safety Commissioner Albert Santa Cruz. The governor has offered the full support and assistance of DPS, including the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the Mississippi Highway Patrol," she said.

Students have reported seeing a SWAT team on campus. Students inside one building have reported that they've been moved to another floor during the search for the shooter.

Cleveland police say they are also assisting Delta State police with the investigation, and neither department would confirm whether there is or is not still an active shooter on campus. DSU police referred the question to communications and marketing.

Someone who answered the phone in the communications department said they cannot release information at this time, but will update the media when they can.

Officials said the Bolivar County Sheriff's Department and Mississippi Bureau of Investigations are also helping with the search. Officials confirm they are still looking for a shooter.

Delta State has released further Twitter advisories telling people to stay inside and away from windows.

Caleb Smith was on his way to get breakfast when he got the alert.

"I was just walking toward the building when I got the message, so I turned around and went back to my room," he said. "I have no idea where the shooter could have been."

Smith's roommate was in the building next to the shooting. He said he has not heard from him yet.
Delta State has been in class for about a month, Smith said. More than 4,000 students are enrolled at DSU, located in Cleveland.