Tiny Missouri town mourns after gunman kills 7, then himself

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Residents of a small southern Missouri town struggled to come to grips with the knowledge that one of their own had killed seven people in a spasm of violence that ended when the gunman shot himself to death on a rural county road.

Joseph Jesse Aldridge, 36, went to four homes in the unincorporated town of Tyrone in Texas County late Thursday, killing relatives and neighbors but sparing two teenagers. He was later found dead in a vehicle in neighboring Shannon County, about 25 miles away.

Aldridge’s 74-year-old mother, Alice, was found dead in a home she shared with her son as officers went door-to-door to search for other victims. An autopsy performed Saturday found she died of natural causes, Texas County Coroner Tom Whitaker said. Alice Aldridge had a history of breast cancer and had lung cancer, said Whitaker, adding investigators assumed she was not a victim of violence but wanted to be “100 percent” sure.

Autopsies were not performed on the other victims, who all lived in Tyrone, not much more than a spot on the map about 40 miles north of the Arkansas border.

“Since the shooter killed himself, and we’re certain he is the shooter and the weapon he killed himself with, the ammunition he used, all match the victims, the prosecuting attorney felt there was no need for autopsies,” Whittaker said. “We knew how they died.”