Man Allegedly Killed Wife, Shot Himself In Hotel Room 700 Miles Away

A Kansas man allegedly killed his wife Sunday before fleeing and shooting himself, over 700 miles away in Missouri on Monday.

According to a news release from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), Lori Shields, 38, was found shot dead at her rural Norton house Sunday evening. Norton County Sheriff’s Office and the KBI identified the suspect as Lori’s husband, Damien L. Shields, and tried to locate him.

The following morning, police officers in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, responded to a report of a man screaming for help from a hotel room. Officers arrived at the room and saw Damien suffering from a gunshot wound, which appeared to be self-inflicted. He was then taken to the Cape Girardeau hospital.

After learning that the man was sought in connection with a shooting in Kansas, the officers took him into custody for first-degree murder in his wife's death after he was released from the medical center Monday evening. He was held at Cape Girardeau County Jail while the investigation was ongoing. It was unclear if Damien had an attorney.

Damien had a history of domestic violence and was sentenced to imprisonment in November 2010 for aggravated battery, violation of a protective order and domestic battery. He was released in December 2015.

Lori, on the other hand, was a secretary at Eisenhower Elementary School, in Norton. Classes in the district were canceled Monday to allow the faculty and students to mourn the death of Lori.

The district released a statement saying, "Norton USD 211 is mourning the loss of Lori Shields. Lori was a secretary at Eisenhower Elementary School and she touched the lives of students and staff in so many positive ways. We are thinking of her children and other family members during this difficult time."

In a similar incident in December 2018, an Alabama man fatally shot his wife before trying to kill himself. The suspect, Ben Clifton Allen, called 911 and said he had shot his wife. When officers arrived at their home, they found the body of 29-year-old Krystal Rose Hancock. The husband was also found alive with self-inflicted gunshot wounds and was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, Fox 10 reported.