Cedar City » A Cedar City woman died Sunday morning after being shot in the head and her husband was taken into custody for questioning after a short foot chase with police.
Police chief Robert Allinson, said it is still unclear what happened in the apartment on the 400 North block of 400 West shortly after 9 a.m., but that detectives were questioning the husband who by Sunday evening was not considered a suspect.
He said the 19-year-old victim, Misty Lamoreaux, was found in the bathroom of the apartment with at least one shot to the head and that police had to obtain a search warrant to process the scene.
"We don't know what we have yet," said Allinson. "It could have been self-inflicted."
Allinson said after the shooting, the unarmed husband led police on a brief foot chase before being taken into custody.
Neighbors said they heard the couple arguing Saturday night and on Sunday morning when seven shots were heard from the apartment.
Some of the bullets tore through a wall into an adjacent unit.
Vicky Smith who lives in that next door apartment, said she was reading and her daughter was watching television when shots erupted.
She said one bullet entered their apartment and landed on the kitchen floor and another bullet lodged in a wall.
"We heard her [the victim] scream and yell and then bullets came flying through the wall," said Smith. "We freaked. It was terrifying."
Smith, who called 911 after the shooting, said she heard the woman and suspect arguing Saturday night.
Her daughter, April Wilson, said she also heard scuffling and screams before the shots were fired.
"The walls here are paper thin," she said. "You can hear everything."
Eddy Hoovan, who lived across the street from the shooting, said he went outside after hearing screaming and gunshots.
"I heard seven shots all together," he said.
When police arrived, Hoovan said, they drew their weapons and confronted a man at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second-story apartment, but the man ran off, followed by police.
Hoovan said he did not see if the man was armed.
Toni Ciserella, who moved into the complex Saturday to attend Southern Utah University, said she also heard arguing in the apartment Saturday night.
"I heard them yelling and arguing again [Sunday] and heard shots."
Ciserella said she next saw a man run past the window of her apartment, followed by police.
'It was crazy," she said.
