Crime
Woman Fatally Struck by Semi-Truck on Birmingham Interstate Exit Ramp Identified as Shontea Baker
Authorities have identified the woman who was killed earlier this week after being struck by a semi-truck on an interstate exit ramp in Birmingham.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office confirmed on Friday that the victim was Shontea Renee Baker, 40, a Birmingham resident.
The fatal incident occurred at approximately 10:26 a.m. Wednesday on the Arkadelphia Road exit ramp from Interstate 59/20.
Emergency responders pronounced Baker deceased at the scene at 10:42 a.m.
At this time, no further details regarding the circumstances of the crash have been released.
The Birmingham Police Department is continuing to investigate the incident.
Crime
Gerald Waligorski Dies by Self-Inflicted Gunshot After Shooting Wife and Killing Her Parents in Pike County Shooting Spree
NEW CANTON, Ill. — Authorities in Pike County are investigating a deadly shooting spree that left two people dead, one person critically injured, and the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Pike County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that 67-year-old Gerald E. Waligorski, of New Canton, was identified as the suspect. Deputies discovered his body inside his residence following a search warrant executed by a SWAT team.
According to Sheriff’s Deputy Zach Orr, deputies were dispatched around 6 a.m. Thursday to a home in the 300 block of Mississippi Street in New Canton after receiving reports of gunfire.
Upon arrival, officers located Waligorski’s wife suffering from a gunshot wound. She told police that her husband had shot her and threatened her parents. The woman was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment.
In response to her statement, officers conducted a welfare check at her parents’ residence in the 200 block of Monroe Street, where they tragically found both victims deceased from gunshot wounds. Their identities have not yet been released pending notification of family members.
As law enforcement searched for Waligorski, local authorities issued warnings to residents to remain indoors, describing the situation as an active shooter threat. Nearby schools, including Griggsville-Perry School District, Western School District, and Pikeland CUSD 10, were placed on soft lockdown as a precaution.
A SWAT team later executed a search warrant at Waligorski’s residence, where he was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Pike County Sheriff’s Office stated that the motive behind the killings remains under investigation. Officials with the Hull Kinderhook Fire Protection District confirmed the area is now secure, and law enforcement agencies have lifted all lockdown measures.