The name of the perpetrator in a shooting and suicide has been released. Thirty-two year-old Aaron Hemmingway of Perryville has been identified as the shooter that opened fire on Ameren UE employees. The incident occurred about 9:50 this (yesterday) morning at exit 99 off of I-55 near Center Junction. Witnesses say Hemingway pulled off the interstate and fired his shotgun at five Ameren UE employees working at the sub-station, just in Jackson City limits. Two victims were shot; one with multiple gunshot wounds and one was shot in the lower leg. They are being treated at Saint Francis Medical Center and are in stable condition. The shooter was chased into Jackson in a maroon Chevy S-10. The pursuit ended at Ridge Road where the he shot himself once in the head. Cape County Coroner John Clifton pronounced him dead at the scene. Jackson Police Chief James Humphreys tells KZIM/KSIM they haven’t found any information connecting Hemmingway to his victims. Humphreys says Cape Police, the Cape County Sheriff’s Department and the Highway Patrol assisted the Jackson Police Department.
Scott City retiree tells of finding scene of Ameren linemen shooting
Tuesday, March 3, 2009 By Rudi Keller
Southeast Missourian
Two Ameren utility workers were shot while working at the Ameren substation near Center Junction of Interstate 55 Friday morning. The shooter fled the scene and later shot himself after Jackson police stopped the vehicle. (FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com ) [Order this photo]During a Friday trip to the hardware store, Scott City retiree Don Venable became a lifesaver. As he pulled up to a stoplight after exiting Interstate 55 at Center Junction, he saw a man leaning against the fender of the car ahead.
When the car ahead did not move after the light changed, Venable pulled over to ask if the man needed help.
"He said, 'I've been shot. Take me to the hospital,'" Venable recalled during an interview Monday.
The man, who Venable could not identify, was wounded in the arm and chest by Aaron C. Hemingway, 32, of Perryville, Mo., during a shooting incident that wounded two workers at the AmerenUE substation near Center Junction. Hemingway, after fleeing the scene, turned his gun on himself.
There were no police at the scene and no other signs of employees near the substation when he met the wounded man, Venable said.
During the drive to Saint Francis Medical Center, Venable said the wounded man said he had no idea why Hemingway chose the substation as a place to start shooting. "He had no idea. He didn't know him," Venable said.
"He said he was standing in front of the truck and the guy just turned around and shot him," Venable said. "He said he ran down the hill to where I picked him up at the stoplight. I don't know if he had intentions of flagging a car or not."
The man was able to give a description of Hemingway's S-10 pickup truck that was used for the getaway. "That is about all he said," Venable said. "The only other thing is he told me several times he could hardly breathe."
Since Friday's shootings, which took place shortly before 10 a.m., police have searched Hemingway's Perryville apartment and agents from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have joined the Jackson Police Department in its investigation.
Perryville police have said Hemingway had been involved in minor incidents but that no major problems had been reported.
An Ameren spokeswoman, Susan Gallagher, declined to comment Monday on the condition of either wounded man. She said Ameren would wait for police to report on why the attack took place before commenting.
Jackson police chief James Humphreys was scheduled to meet Monday with FBI and homeland security agents. In an interview Sunday, he said some information had surfaced that Hemingway was angry with the government but that further work needed to be done to review files on Hemingway's computer.
Humphreys could not be reached Monday afternoon for comment.
The trip to Jackson started out routinely, Venable said. He was headed to Buchheit's on Old Orchard Road for some brackets to repair an awning that collapsed during the late January ice storm. It isn't a trip he makes often, but he feels thankful he was available to help the wounded man.
While transporting the man to Saint Francis, Venable said he kept in communication with 911 operators to let them know he had one of the victims with him. When he returned to the scene — he still needed the brackets — Venable said he saw the emergency vehicles and told officers where to find the victim.
"They didn't know I had taken him to the hospital," Venable said. "I think they were still up there looking for him in the weeds."
He didn't hesitate when the victim asked for a ride, Venable said. "As it was taking place, I really didn't give it any thought," Venable said. "I didn't have any apprehension."
The man's heavy clothing contained the blood from a chest wound and two wounds to his arm. Hemingway reportedly used a 12-gauge shotgun in the attack.
"I was just in the wrong place at the right time," Venable said.
rkeller@semissourian.com
388-3642
Have a comment?
Log on to semissourian.com
Shooting investigation draws FBI, terrorism task force
Monday, March 2, 2009 By Peg McNichol
Southeast Missourian
Jackson police work the scene on Ridge Road where the driver of a small Chevrolet truck took his own life with a 12-gauge shotgun after apparently shooting two Ameren utility workers near Center Junction of Interstate 55 Friday morning. (FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com ) [Order this photo]
The Jackson Police Department is getting extra help investigating Friday's shooting of two AmerenUE workers.
Jackson police chief James Humphreys said he'll be meeting with the FBI and St. Louis-based officials from the Joint Terrorism Task Force today.
"We're going to turn over some items of evidence that we recovered from the suspect's apartment," he said.
The suspect, Aaron C. Hemingway, 32, of Perryville, Mo., died of a self-inflicted gunshot after wounding two AmerenUE workers at a Center Junction substation Friday morning, according to Jackson police.
The Ameren workers were taken to Saint Francis Medical Center, where they underwent surgery, Humphreys said, and will be interviewed again this week.
"They are recovering the way they should be recovering," he said.
"In deference to the privacy of the individuals involved we aren't giving out comments on their information," said AmerenUE spokeswoman Susan Gallagher. She said Ameren officials are "fully cooperating with the Jackson Police investigation."
Police remain puzzled by the shootings.
"We're trying to figure out why. Right now it's still looking like this guy, that his motive was that's just what he wanted to do." Humphreys said. "He'd been depressed, according to some of the investigators."
Humphreys said some of the evidence indicates that Hemingway was angry with the government, which is why federal investigators were called on.
"We haven't got into his computer yet to see if anything will tell us why," he said.
Hemingway's apartment near the corner of Jackson and St. Joseph streets, three blocks from the Perryville police station, was searched after police obtained a warrant. Humphreys said Hemingway did not appear to have a roommate.
"That's another thing we're trying to find out — if anybody else knew this guy or if he had any friends that might have known about this or any accomplices. That's what we're trying to run down," he said.
Perryville police chief Keith Tarrillion, who said he was familiar with Hemingway and his family but did not know them well, said the suspect had been in minor run-ins with police.
"We've had a few encounters with him," Tarrillion said. "We haven't had any major issues with him at all. The officers who stopped him said he was very polite. It's a weird situation."
The only involvement Perryville police have with the investigation, Tarrillion said, was to search the apartment and pass along information to Jackson police.
"If anyone has any information that would explain why he did what he did? Yeah, we would love for them to pass it along to us," he said. "We've just been assisting the Jackson Police Department and the task force. We don't have any criminal investigation going on."
Hemingway's family, contacted on Saturday, declined to comment.
Southeast Missourian reporter Bridget DiCosmo contributed to this story.
pmcnichol@semissourian.com
388-3646
Related Links
![The image “<a href=]()
http://www.policelink.com/nfs/policelink/attachment_images/0039/1328/9918517_BG1_crop380w.jpg?1235779652” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://www.policelink.com/nfs/policelink/attachment_images/0039/1328/9918517_BG1_crop380w.jpg?1235779652"/>
CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY, MO (KFVS) - Police have released the name of the gunman who they say shot and injured two Ameren linemen Friday in Jackson.
Police say Aaron C Hemingway, 32, from Perryville drove up to an Ameren substation off of Hwy. 61 at Center Junction and fired shots from his red Chevy S10 pick-up truck with some type of shotgun around 10 a.m., according to preliminary reports from Jackson Police.
Police say there is no reason to believe that he targeted the Ameren workers.
Two linemen were shot and injured. They were taken to local hospitals. Both men were in surgery around noon. No word on their conditions. However, a family friend of one of the linemen told Heartland News one of them was shot three times and is in intensive care. Ameren says a third lineworker was shot at, but he was unharmed.
The gunman led police on a chase that ended in the Bent Creek subdivision at Lacey and Ridge roads. Jackson police officers conducted a traffic stop and tried to contact Hemingway with their loudspeaker. When officers approached the truck, they found Hemingway had shot himself. Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton says Hemingway shot himself in the head which killed him.
The substation where the two linemen were shot is just off of Interstate 55 near Exit 99. No word on the motive of the shooting.
Ameren released the following statement about the shooting.
"All Ameren employees are concerned about an incident this morning in southeast Missouri. Two AmerenUE linemen were injured when a suspect shot at them as they were making repairs at the Center Junction substation - outside Cape Girardeau. Another shot was directed at a third lineworker; but he was not injured. The linemen are being treated at a Cape Girardeau hospital. None of their injuries is believed to be life threatening. UE supervisors have notified the affected families. After a brief manhunt, Jackson, Missouri police confronted the suspect, who then turned his gun on himself. The suspect's injuries were fatal."
"In my forty years with Ameren nothing like this has ever happened before. We will continue to update you as we have more information. Please keep our co-workers in your prayers this weekend," said Thomas R. Voss, AmerenUE president and chief executive officer.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol, Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, and Cape Girardeau Police Department assisted the Jackson Police Department. Jackson PD is also working with the Perryville Police Department and the Perry County Sheriff's Department on a potential motive and other information on Hemingway.
![The image “<a href=]()
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/media/news/a/9/e/a9e1b766-18f2-4052-a76f-413aa33af2d4/Original.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/media/news/a/9/e/a9e1b766-18f2-4052-a76f-413aa33af2d4/Original.jpg" width="724"/>
You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!
Join 12160 Social Network