Delta State University shooter Shannon Lamb's apology letter revealed

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Police in Mississippi released handwritten apology note penned by suspected shooter Shannon Lamb, 45, after he killed his girlfriend
According to police, he shot dead Amy Prentiss at their Gautier home at 6am
He then called 911 to report the killing, telling dispatcher: 'I shot my wife last night'
Lamb also mentions there is a 'sweet dog' in the house that is 'not going to bother anyone' but is likely upset
Police say Lamb then drove 300 miles to Delta State University campus and shot dead assistant history professor Ethan Schmidt
Deputy coroner revealed Schmidt was shot three times in the face in the doorway of his office as he was either leaving or coming in
Lamb, 45, 'shot himself dead' at 11pm local time Monday after 12-hour manhunt
Detectives don't believe there was a relationship between Schmidt, who was a married father of three, and Prentiss

Published: 14:44 EST, 15 September 2015 | Updated: 17:02 EST, 15 September 2015

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The Delta State University instructor accused of killing a colleague and his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself admitted to the woman’s slaying in a hand-written apology note and a 911 call.

Authorities in Gautier, Mississippi, said 45-year-old geography instructor Shannon Lamb called them around 10am Monday and said he had shot and killed someone. He did not provide an explanation.

When police got to the scene they found a letter from the shooter that read: ‘I am so sorry I wish I could take it back. I loved Amy and she is the only person who ever loved me.’

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Final letter: Police in Mississippi released Tuesday an apology note hand-written by Delta State University instructor Shannon Lamb after he killed his girlfriend Monday morning

'Murder-suicide': Lamb, 45, (left) killed himself at the end of a 12-hour manhunt across Mississippi late Monday. He was wanted for the shooting of history professor Ethan Schmidt, 39, (right) at Delta State

Victim: Amy Prentiss, 41, was shot dead at a home in Gautier, Miss., on Monday. Police believe she was killed by her boyfriend, Shannon Lamb, who then opened fire at Delta State University

Lamb is accused of killing Amy Prentiss and his colleague at Delta State University, history professor Ethan Schmidt, before eventually taking his own life after an intense 12-hour manhunt.

During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, police released Lamb’s note and a recording of his 911 call.

In the call Monday morning, Lamb tells the dispatcher that police need to send officers over to his home on Santa Cruz Street in Gautier.

He says, ‘I shot my wife last night’ and also mentions that there is a ‘sweet dog’ in the house that is ‘not going to bother anyone’ but is likely upset.

Police asked the caller his name, but he doesn't want to give it.

The 911 call was made about 45 minutes before Lamb is suspected of driving 300 miles to the DSU campus in Cleveland and shooting Schmidt in his office, sparking a lockdown.

Aftermath: An environmental cleanup crew works in the office of Delta State University history professor Ethan Schmidt

Crime scene: A deputy coroner said the educator was shot three times in the doorway of his office, which is inside an office suite on the second floor of Jobe Hall

Contractors in hazmat suits on Tuesday removed bloodstained items and ripped up gore-spattered carpet in Schmidt's office

Students leave a counseling session at Delta State University Tuesday, the day after a lockdown that lasted into the evening

Deputy Bolivar County Coroner Murray Roark said Tuesday that Schmidt was shot three times with a .380-caliber handgun and appeared to be entering or leaving his office because he had a book bag on his shoulder.

The father of three was struck in the neck, cheek and near the right eye in the doorway of his office, which is inside an office suite on the second floor of Jobe Hall.

Contractors in hazmat suits, protective booties and masks were photographed today cleaning the office, removing bloodstained items and ripping up gore-spattered carpet.

More than 24 hours after the double murder, police say they are still searching for a motive in the case.

Detective Matt Hoggatt told reporters Tuesday there is no indication that drugs or alcohol played a role in the killing and that there was no history of criminal domestic violence at the home.

He also added that at this point they don't believe there was a relationship between Schmidt, who was a married father of three, and Prentiss.

Lamb, 45, was on the run for 12 hours as a suspect in the killings yesterday before police finally closed in on him.

But once cornered, the 'geography of crime' instructor ran from his vehicle and into the woods. Police heard a single gunshot before discovering his body.

Dante Elben, Gautier Police Chief, told reporters that Lamb had spoken with officers at some point on Monday and told them 'he wasn't going to jail', CNN reported.

Cleveland Police Chief Charles Bingham discuses in Cleveland, Mississippi, the apprehension of Shannon Lamb as he tried to elude police late Monday

Wanted man: Lamb, 45, was on the run for 12 hours as a suspect in the killings yesterday before police finally closed in on him in Greenville

Lamb, 45, had been at large since Monday morning when he reportedly opened fire at his place of work, killing assistant history professor Ethan Schmidt, 39, with two gun shots to the head.

It came just hours after police claim he gunned down church outreach minister Amy Prentiss, 41, at their home in Gautier, Mississippi.

Shortly after midnight (Eastern Time) police spotted Lamb in traffic and chased him down, according to WREG Memphis.

According to police, Lamb killed Prentiss at around 6am then drove 300 miles to his place of work.

He called 911 at 10.20am to alert them to Prentiss' death, then opened fire on the campus at 10.45am local time, killing 39-year-old married father-of-three Schmidt, police said.

The murder weapon was not recovered, though officers found two shell casings by Schmidt's body. As police launched a state-wide manhunt, they said Lamb was believed to be armed and driving a Dodge Avenger registered to Prentiss.

Lamb had been teaching at Delta since 2009 and last year earned his PhD. His profile on DSU's website states that one of his areas of expertise was 'geography of crime.'

Prentiss, an outreach minister, and Lamb (pictured together in an undated photo) moved to Gautier in June

Deadly shooting: Married father-of-three Schmidt was reportedly gunned down inside his office on campus

According to information released by the school, the shooting took place near Jobe Hall

Gautier Police Detective Matthew Hoggatt said the suspect left Gautier in a green SUV, and the same vehicle was later found at Delta State.

A tweet sent out by the school at around 10.45am alerted the DSU community to 'an active shooter' who has been spotted on campus near Jobe Hall.

Part-time rocker: Lamb, a native of Munich, Germany, is a father of two who plays in a rock-n-roll band in his free time (pictured)

Students and staff were ordered to shelter in place and stay away from windows.

Cleveland Police later confirmed the active shooter sighting and Delta State officials tweeted that there was one fatality.

William LaForge, the president of Delta State University said the shooting was a 'random act between two individuals.'

'Today is the first time I ever heard anything about him [Lamb],' LaForge said, adding that Lamb had recently asked for medical leave and a 'reduced load.'

Fox News reported late Monday afternoon that investigators believe a love triangle may be behind the two killings.

The news site claimed citing unnamed sources that Lamb may have been under the impression that his lover was also in a relationship with Schmidt, who was married.

According to his Facebook page, Shannon Lamb was a native of Munich, Germany. In a post from April 2013 first cited by Heavy.com, the 45-year-old described himself as a single parent to a boy and girl who 'both are straight 'A' students.'

Before joining the faculty of Delta State, Lamb had taught geography at Mississippi Valley State University and Itawamba Community college. In his free time, the father of two plays in a rock-n-roll band.

In a July 14, 2014, Facebook post dedicated to the completion of his doctorate, Lamb wrote that he had 'tried to maintain a relationship with the best girl in the whole wide world. (Amy Prentiss).'

Neighbors in Gautier told the SunHerald that the couple had been living on Santa Cruz Street where the slaying took place this morning since at least June.

A local resident said they had a hound named Lightning; both Lamb and Prentiss' Facebook pages feature photos of a tan-and-black hound by that name.

The pair had been dating since at least February 2014, based on selfies shared on Lamb's social media account.

In each photo caption, the geography teacher referred to his girlfriend as 'My Sweet Baby Angel.'

Both Lamb and Ethan Schmidt worked in Delta State University's social sciences department, and in the 'Acknowledgements' section of his first book released last year, the historian listed his colleague as one of the 'wonderful people' he is 'so lucky to have... to share my academic life with.

Scholar: The American history professor earned his PhD from the University of Kansas in 2007

Award-winning teacher: During his time at Texas Tech University, Schmidt received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2011

Researcher: Schmidt's area of expertise was colonial America and the interactions between indigenous people and European colonists

Husband and father: Schmidt is survived by his wife of 17 years (left) and their three children

According to Schmidt's biography on Delta State's website, the American history professor earned his PhD from the University of Kansas in 2007.

Before coming to Delta State in 2013, Schmidt had taught for six years at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2011.

Schmidt's area of expertise was colonial America and the interactions between indigenous people and European colonists.

This past April, Schmidt published his second book on the subject titled The Divided Dominion: Social Conflict and Indian Hatred in Early Virginia.

Don Allan Mitchell, an English professor at the school, called Schmidt 'a gentleman in every sense of the word.'

'Dr. Ethan Schmidt was a terrific family man, a good friend, a true son of Peabody, Kansas, and his beloved Emporia State University,' he said

Lamb (pictured left and right) had been teaching at Delta State University since 2009

Plans to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the campus set for Tuesday have been put on hold.

Students and faculty who have been cleared from academic buildings were relocated to Sillers Coliseum.

Students were asked to stay in their dorms until they could be escorted out.

Officers from the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Cleveland Police, and the Bolivar County Sheriff's Department spent most of the day on campus looking for the suspect.

Freshman Noah Joyner, 18, said he was shaken by the lockdown. Joyner hunkered down in a bathroom of his dorm building and heard others desperate to get in when reports of the active shooter spread.

'There were like people banging on the doors to have somebody let them in,' said Joyner, a swimmer at the college. 'It was pretty terrifying to hear people banging on the door.'

The Cleveland School District also placed all local schools on lockdown as the active shooter situation unfolded.

Delta State is a four-year public university that has a student body of more than 4,000 people.

'Fortunately for us, our public safety officers and university officials have trained many of us for active shooter situations,' Mitchell wrote in a Facebook message to The Associated Press. 'Many students are locked-down in classrooms, and professors and staff members are telling them the protocol. Plus, we are all texting and Facebooking each other to make sure we are safe.'