Mississippi shooting: Suspect Shannon Lamb 'shoots himself dead' after telling police he's 'not going to jail'

The suspect of two fatal shootings, Shannon Lamb has reportedly shot himself following a police manhunt

Shannon Lamb in a photo on his Facebook page (Facebook)

The man suspected of shooting dead his partner and a university professor has shot himself dead, according to police.

Shannon Lamb is believed to have shot himself after fleeing the police during a 12-hour search.

The college instructor, 45, was suspected of shooting dead history professor Ethan Schmidt in his office on the campus of Delta State University in Cleveland on Monday.

He was then reported to also be the suspect of the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Amy Prentiss, believed to be Lamb’s girlfriend, at their shared home in Gautier, a city found on the state’s Gulf Coast.

After telling police he was “not going to jail”, officers followed his car until he pulled over and jumped out of the vehicle.

According to the chief of the Delta State University Police, Lynn Buford, police then heard a gunshot and found Lamb. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Lamb's death brought an end to a chaotic day where Delta State University campus was placed on lockdown while police surveyed the buildings, following the shooting of Mr Schmidt. Those on campus was told to take shelter, away from windows.

Yesterday, University President William LaForge confirmed to the the Associated Press news agency that the lockdown had been lifted but said there would be no classes Tuesday.

He said: “We’re relieved that this tragedy is over.”

Officers in the two cities of Cleveland and Gautier said they had not uncovered a motive for either of the murders.

During Monday’s search for Lamb, Gautier Police Lieutenant Scott Wilson warned during a televised news conference that anyone who came into contact with him should exercise extreme caution, due to earlier telling police “he was not going to jail”.

Lamb received a doctorate in education from Delta State University in the spring of 2015, according to the university's website. He started working there in 2009 and taught geography and education classes. He was believed to be taking two online classes this term.

On Tuesday evening there will be a vigil for students, faculty and staff to honour Professor Ethan Schmidt, who was killed.

Shawn O’Steen, victim Ms Prentiss’ former husband, paid tribute to her saying she was a good person. He added that their daughter who is 19 is “devastated” as she and her mother were “absolutely best friends”.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.