Iowa shooting incidents stemmed from domestic issues: authorities
By John Peragine
BETTENDORF, Iowa (Reuters) - A 40-year-old man had been involved in a dispute with his estranged wife before fatally shooting himself when confronted by police responding to reports of gunfire at two Iowa businesses, authorities said on Tuesday.
Police on Monday afternoon responded to shots fired at a law firm in Davenport and at another business about 5 miles (8 km) away in the adjoining city of Bettendorf minutes later.
Robert Mayes, who lived in Coal City, Illinois, south of the two cities, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, a statement from the city of Bettendorf said. No one else was shot in the two incidents.
"The motive for going to both locations was that he was looking for his wife at the Davenport location where she is employed and another male at the Bettendorf location where he is employed," the Bettendorf statement said.
The incident remains under investigation and no other details were provided.
On Monday, authorities said in a statement that several shots were fired inside the Davenport building, which also houses a military recruiting office. Although no one was wounded by gunfire, two people suffered superficial injuries, the statement said.
The suspect fled the first location before police arrived and minutes later Bettendorf police received a report of shots fired at a business just across the border from Davenport, authorities said.
When they arrived, Bettendorf police saw a man matching the description of the suspect from the Davenport shooting holding a handgun in a parking lot, the statement said. The man shot himself in the head when he saw the officers, it said.
(Reporting by John Peragine; Writing by David Bailey; Editing by Bill Trott)
