Man shot, killed in Poplar Bluff Wal-Mart parking lot

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Authorities are investigating a Tuesday morning shooting at the Poplar Bluff Wal-Mart Supercenter parking lot that left a Doniphan, Missouri, man dead inside a car and another in custody.

At 7:08 a.m., a call to the Poplar Bluff Police Department reported shots fired at Wal-Mart. The first officers arrived on the scene two minutes later.

“The call came in as a man (had been) shot at the north doors on the Wal-Mart parking lot and somebody with no shirt entering into Wal-Mart,” police Lt. Bob Moore said. “... That’s how the call came in.”

Evidence, including an ash tray and cash, lies outside the victim's car.Paul Davis ~ Daily American Republic

The first two officers on the scene made contact with the suspect that went into Wal-Mart and took him into custody, deputy chief Jeff Rolland said.

“After the individual was secured, they checked on the victim in the vehicle that was just outside the north door,” Rolland said.

The man was turned over to Butler County EMS personnel, who “were unable to determine signs of life,” and the Butler County coroner was called to the scene, Rolland said.

Poplar Bluff Police Detective Corey Mitchell photographs bullet holes and damage.Paul Davis ~ Daily American Republic

Coroner Jim Akers said the man was pronounced dead about 7:30 a.m. and was identified as Stahl Lee Sturgeon, 50.

Akers said Sturgeon suffered several gunshot wounds that caused his death.

An autopsy will be conducted on Sturgeon’s body at 9 a.m. today by Dr. Russell Deidiker in Farmington, Missouri, Akers said.

Evidence will be collected during the autopsy, said Akers, who hopes Deidiker can determine Sturgeon’s time of death.

Sturgeon’s alleged shooter was identified as Joseph Wade Wisdom, 33, of the 700 block of Apple Street in Poplar Bluff.

Wisdom was being interviewed by investigators Tuesday morning, and the motive for the alleged shooting was not known.

Any relationship between the victim and suspect was unknown Tuesday.

By 7:30 a.m., officers with the police department, Butler County Sheriff’s Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol and U.S. Forest Service were on the parking lot, where a black Toyota Camry had been cordoned off.

The car, with its windshield wipers on, was facing west in the driving lane in front of the store’s market entrance.

Sturgeon, still in his seat belt, was slumped over to the right in the driver’s seat.

The car had a bullet hole in the lower right corner of the windshield, and the rear driver’s-side window was broken.

What appeared to be two indentations caused by exiting bullets were found near the driver’s door handle.

An ashtray and money were on the ground below the driver’s door.

“It’s very early in the investigation; we’re piecing it together,” Rolland said. “At this time, we know we have one male victim; we have the suspect in custody. We are processing the crime scene and interviewing the witnesses.”

At the time of the shooting, “there were people in the parking lot; there were people in the store,” Rolland said.

“As you can imagine, on a Tuesday morning at Wal-Mart, there were quite a few people going about their daily activities.”

Witnesses were being interviewed at the police and sheriff’s departments, he said.

“We’ve got a list from the highway patrol to follow up on,” Rolland said.

After taking photographs of the car and area surrounding it with evidence tape and later a black curtain, detective Corey Mitchell began taking measurements, including measurements of the apparent bullet holes.

Mitchell later was assisted by police detectives and patrol Sgt. Don Windham with Troop E’s Division of Drug and Crime Control.

“We’re diligently working through interviewing witnesses and processing two separate scenes: the scene in the parking lot and the scene where the suspect was taken into custody,” Rolland said.

Rolland said the scene inside the Wal-Mart, “which is not a very big area,” was just inside the doorway, between the doors and cash registers.

“The suspect ran in and immediately encountered officers,” Rolland said.

Wisdom had “taken his shirt off,” Rolland said. “We’re going to do our due diligence and make sure we don’t leave any evidence behind” in the store.

Officers, Rolland said, found a weapon outside the store in proximity to the car.

As officers continued to investigate the scene and removed Sturgeon’s body just after 9 a.m., Sgt. Joe Weadon, a member of the patrol’s Major Crash Investigation Team, was taking measurements of the scene.

Crash-team members have the ability to do a “digital replication” of the crime scene, said Rolland, who indicated several shots were fired in what could be a “rolling crime scene.”

This investigation, according to Rolland, has expanded to other locations “inside Poplar Bluff and outside of Butler County, so it is going to take us some time to piece this entire puzzle together.”

Rolland said 25 to 30 law-enforcement agents are investigating.

“We’ve determined through (Wal-Mart’s) surveillance video the suspect in custody was the only other individual involved in this incident at this location,” Rolland said.

There is a possibility of “other victims to various degrees” at other locations; however, “we don’t believe we are looking for anyone else as a suspect,” Rolland said.