Officers use tear gas to get shooting suspect out of house

~ One victim was wounded, the other pronounced dead at the scene.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston resident suspected in the shooting death of a woman barricaded himself inside his mother's home for three hours Saturday morning until officers used tear gas to flush him out.

Robert E. Madison was taken into custody at the home on John R. Boulevard approximately 6 a.m., according to a statement from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

Madison was named as the shooter who entered a residence at 318 Dixie and fired several shots into Shekiah Denise Mitchell. A second shooting victim, Marcus Robinson, was wounded in the side, according to the statement.

Mitchell was pronounced dead at the scene with a gunshot wound to the head and several other wounds.

Robinson told officers that he and Madison exchanged gunfire when Madison entered the home on Dixie and began firing, the statement said. Robinson refused medical treatment and was taken to the department headquarters, where he identified Madison as the shooter.

The Southeast Missouri Major Case Squad was activated, the statement said. "We started receiving leads indicating the whereabouts of Mr. Madison. Several leads were followed up and several times we were just minutes behind the location he had just left," the statement said.

Shortly after 3 a.m., officers received word that Madison was at his mother's home. He refused to surrender, the Sikeston Special Operations Group was activated and area homes were evacuated.

Attempts to negotiate with Madison were limited by his unwillingness to cooperate, the statement said. Shortly before 5 a.m., a bomb robot was used to take a negotiation phone to the house. A gunshot was heard, the statement said, and although negotiators established contact with Madison, he again refused to surrender.

Tear gas was used to force Madison to surrender at about 6 a.m.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126