Jackson police studying handwritten journal of man who shot AmerenUE linemen

The Perryville, Mo., man who shot two AmerenUE employees Friday kept a handwritten journal that Jackson police are studying in an attempt to understand why he became violent before committing suicide.

The journal, retrieved from the Perryville apartment where Aaron C. Hemingway, 32, lived alone, shows his anger at the government over taxation and other issues but gives no clear clue about his motives, Jackson police Lt. Rodney Barnes said.

"The only thing we can hope to do is glean as much intelligence as we can from what he left behind," Barnes said. "That is the sad reality of an incident like this. We may never know why he did what he did."

Shortly before 10 a.m. Friday, Hemingway drove onto the AmerenUE substation property near Center Junction. He turned a 12-gauge shotgun on the workers he found there, wounding two and shooting at several other employees. As he attacked them, Barnes said, Hemingway spoke to his intended victims but Barnes would not talk about what Hemingway said. There were several shell casings scattered about the lot, and it is clear that Hemingway reloaded his weapon during the attack, Barnes said.

After the shooting, Hemingway was sought by Jackson police and Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department deputies during a brief manhunt. When they found him in his pickup truck, he had turned the shotgun on himself.

Hemingway has no affiliation with AmerenUE either as a customer or as an employee, Barnes said. The investigation indicates that Hemingway has never been employed by any utility company.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions about this individual," he said. "We are trying to plug in as many holes as we can. This individual was a very private person, a loner type, and he really didn't share a lot with other people."

As part of the investigation, Jackson police are relying on the FBI to help analyze evidence, Barnes said. There is no other federal involvement, he said.

As the events unfolded Friday, one of the shooting victims fled to the Center Junction intersection. From there, Scott City retiree Don Venable drove the victim to Saint Francis Medical Center for treatment. Venable likely saved the man's life, Barnes said.

"That was selfless behavior," Barnes said. "He was just looking out to help someone else. A lot of people can learn a lesson from Mr. Venable. What he did could have very well made the difference in life and death."

Both men wounded Friday are recovering from serious injuries, which Barnes declined to describe.

Hemingway had no criminal history, Barnes said.

Even when the journal is fully studied and all the evidence is analyzed, the reasons behind Hemingway's actions may never be known, Barnes said.

"I believe this individual was bent on committing an act of violence against somebody and those people just happened to be there," he said.

Every possible avenue of explanation will be pursued, he added. "We are very fortunate. Those linemen were very fortunate. They were truly blessed that day. Once again, nobody knows when those kind of actions may occur. They can occur in this community or any community." rkeller@semissourian.com

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