Man who shot self after Cape Girardeau police chase dies

The man suspected of assaulting a woman on a Cape Girardeau trail before shooting himself after a police chase last week died Tuesday afternoon.

Sean M. Smith, 43, of Cape Girardeau died at Saint Francis Medical Center on Tuesday, a week after he led every available Cape Girardeau police officer on a pursuit that ended in his now fatal injury.

Smith was believed to have pulled a woman at gunpoint into a wooded area near Cape LaCroix Recreational Trail on March 4, according to police. With the help of another woman on the trail, the victim was able to evade Smith.

On March 6, police released a description of Smith and his vehicle, including a license plate number. After spotting Smith, a manager at West End Apartments notified police that Smith and an unidentified woman were staying there. When officers arrived, Smith refused to speak to them and fled the scene, initiating a full-scale chase.

Smith led police to Dan's Key and Lock Shop, 1754 Independence St., where his tires were flattened by stop-sticks. Surrounded by police, Smith pointed a gun at an officer and was struck by a police cruiser. While on the ground, he shot himself in the head.

In the week following the pursuit, three of Smith's potential victims contacted police. At least three victims who came forward after the chase told police that the man propositioned them for sexual acts before he confronted his final victim March 4. One woman said Smith approached her Feb. 29, while the other said he asked her for sexual favors just minutes before the March 4 attack.

A 38-year-old Cape Girardeau woman said Monday that she had contacted police twice in an attempt to report a March 3 incident where she was allegedly approached by a man matching the suspect's description in the parking lot of the Cape Girardeau Public Library. The woman was advised to directly contact the detective in charge of investigating other possible related incidents.

"I didn't necessarily feel unsafe," the woman said of the week following the chase. "Since [March 6] he has not been able to do anything to anyone."

The woman has asked to remain anonymous.

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said Tuesday that the investigation appears to be over, but he still has to look at police reports before it becomes official. Swingle said that police detectives told him that the victim identified the suspect from photos as the man who assaulted her near the trail. Witnesses also told police, Swingle said, that the suspect was the same man who got in the truck that led police on the chase.

"From my understanding, the police are satisfied it is the same guy," Swingle said.

Charges had not been filed against Smith after the pursuit. Cape Girardeau County would have incurred Smith's medical bills had Swingle filed charges against him.

"If this guy would have healed up to the point where he would have known what was going on, we would have charged him," Swingle said. "If it turned out he was just on life support and in a coma, we never would have charged him. There's no point in prosecuting someone who never would have known he was prosecuted. You aren't going to accomplish anything except waste taxpayer money in that situation."

Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton said there would not an autopsy and Clifton and Swingle are reviewing police documents to determine whether there should be an official inquest into Smith's self-shooting and death.

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

711 N. Clark Ave., Cape Girardeau, MO

1625 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO

45 S. West End Blvd., Cape Girardeau, MO

1754 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO