GAUTIER, Mississippi — A university instructor told police he killed his girlfriend at a home they shared and investigators found a note there that said “I am so sorry I wish I could take it back” — but there was no hint he was then headed to kill a colleague, police said on Tuesday. Shannon Lamb called police on Monday, telling a dispatcher he had killed 41-year-old Amy Prentiss at the home they shared along the Gulf coast. In the call, Lamb refuses to give his name but says that family contact information can be found on Prentiss' phone and made a point to say his “sweet dog” was there alive and probably upset. When officers responded, they found the note written in all capital letters on a white, lined notepad, signed by Lamb: “I loved Amy and she is the only person who ever loved me.” There was no indication that Lamb, who was teaching two online classes for Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, had already traveled 300 miles (480 kilometers) to the school's campus, where police believe he shot and killed a well-liked history professor, Ethan Schmidt, 39, in the doorway to his office. Delta State University police chief Lynn Buford said university officials heard about the shooting at 10:18 a.m. on Monday. He said Lamb made the fateful call to the emergency dispatcher about killing his girlfriend sometime after that. By the end of the day, there would be one more death: Lamb took his own life as police closed in on him. At some point after the shootings, he told family members he had no intention of going to jail. Relatives relayed that information to authorities. A day after the school shooting forced students and faculty to hide behind locked doors, authorities were still trying to piece together what motivated Lamb. The details released by investigators at both ends of the state as well as students and staff who knew him helped paint a picture of a talented but possibly troubled teacher Matt Hoggatt, a spokesman for Gautier police, said during a news conference Tuesday that Lamb had no criminal record. Police have not released a motive for either shooting. University President William LaForge said he didn't know of any conflict between Lamb and Schmidt but “obviously there was something in Mr. Lamb's mind.” A book published by Schmidt says in the acknowledgements that Schmidt considered himself “so lucky to have such wonderful people to share my academic life with,” including Lamb. Lamb had earlier asked for a medical leave of absence, saying he had a health issue of some sort, but LaForge gave no further information about it. Police eventually cleared the campus after the shooting and authorities later found Lamb when a license plate reader picked up his plate as he crossed a bridge over the Mississippi River from Arkansas back into Mississippi, Cleveland police Chief Charles “Buster” Bingham said. Lamb killed himself with a single .380 pistol shot to the forehead in the backyard of a home south of his parents' home on the outskirts of Greenville, Mississippi, said Washington County Coroner Methel Johnson. He left his car still running in the driveway. It was not immediately clear why Lamb went to that home, though Johnson said she believes he knew the people who lived there. Lamb started working at the university, which has 3,500 students in a city of about 12,000, in 2009 and taught geography and education classes. He received a doctorate in education in the spring. He was teaching two online classes this semester, but an in-person class had been cancelled, LaForge said. Lamb's career prospects at Delta State may have taken a turn because of a policy change. After LaForge became president, he hired a new provost, Charles McAdams, who ended a practice whereby an instructor who earned a doctorate could automatically join the tenure track and become an assistant professor. LaForge said that practice violated state policy which requires an open search for new professor positions. Brandon Beavers, an education major, said he had a class with Lamb last year. “It was like that class you look forward to,” Beavers said. “It was just cool.” However, he said Lamb seemed agitated. “He was really jittery, like there was something wrong with him,” Beavers said. “He was never in a bad mood, but he was real shaky.” Lamb and Prentiss had apparently been dating for some time. In the police call, Lamb said “I killed my wife,” but there was no record of them ever marrying. Prentiss' ex-husband said they divorced 15 years ago but remained friends and had a daughter who's now 19. Schmidt, the slain professor, directed the first-year seminar program and specialized in Native American and colonial history, said Don Allan Mitchell, an English professor at the school. He was married and had three young children. At the campus of 3,500 students, the police blockades had been taken down, people were out cutting the grass and traffic moved normally, although there was not a lot of pedestrian traffic. On Tuesday night, about 900 people, including faculty members, staff, students, and members of the community, attended a candlelight memorial on the Delta State campus. Schmidt's wife, Liz, and brother Jeff Schmidt also attended the vigil, during which the university choir sang “Bright Morning Star” and “Amazing Grace.” Classes resume Wednesday. “We're trying to get our students to come back,” LaForge said. “The crisis is over. This is a day of healing.” — AP
