Scott City retiree tells of finding scene of Ameren linemen shooting

During a Friday trip to the hardware store, Scott City retiree Don Venable became a lifesaver. As he pulled up to a stoplight after exiting Interstate 55 at Center Junction, he saw a man leaning against the fender of the car ahead.

When the car ahead did not move after the light changed, Venable pulled over to ask if the man needed help.

"He said, 'I've been shot. Take me to the hospital,'" Venable recalled during an interview Monday.

The man, who Venable could not identify, was wounded in the arm and chest by Aaron C. Hemingway, 32, of Perryville, Mo., during a shooting incident that wounded two workers at the AmerenUE substation near Center Junction. Hemingway, after fleeing the scene, turned his gun on himself.

There were no police at the scene and no other signs of employees near the substation when he met the wounded man, Venable said.

During the drive to Saint Francis Medical Center, Venable said the wounded man said he had no idea why Hemingway chose the substation as a place to start shooting. "He had no idea. He didn't know him," Venable said.

"He said he was standing in front of the truck and the guy just turned around and shot him," Venable said. "He said he ran down the hill to where I picked him up at the stoplight. I don't know if he had intentions of flagging a car or not."

The man was able to give a description of Hemingway's S-10 pickup truck that was used for the getaway. "That is about all he said," Venable said. "The only other thing is he told me several times he could hardly breathe."

Since Friday's shootings, which took place shortly before 10 a.m., police have searched Hemingway's Perryville apartment and agents from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have joined the Jackson Police Department in its investigation.

Perryville police have said Hemingway had been involved in minor incidents but that no major problems had been reported.

An Ameren spokeswoman, Susan Gallagher, declined to comment Monday on the condition of either wounded man. She said Ameren would wait for police to report on why the attack took place before commenting.

Jackson police chief James Humphreys was scheduled to meet Monday with FBI and homeland security agents. In an interview Sunday, he said some information had surfaced that Hemingway was angry with the government but that further work needed to be done to review files on Hemingway's computer.

Humphreys could not be reached Monday afternoon for comment.

The trip to Jackson started out routinely, Venable said. He was headed to Buchheit's on Old Orchard Road for some brackets to repair an awning that collapsed during the late January ice storm. It isn't a trip he makes often, but he feels thankful he was available to help the wounded man.

While transporting the man to Saint Francis, Venable said he kept in communication with 911 operators to let them know he had one of the victims with him. When he returned to the scene — he still needed the brackets — Venable said he saw the emergency vehicles and told officers where to find the victim.

"They didn't know I had taken him to the hospital," Venable said. "I think they were still up there looking for him in the weeds."

He didn't hesitate when the victim asked for a ride, Venable said. "As it was taking place, I really didn't give it any thought," Venable said. "I didn't have any apprehension."

The man's heavy clothing contained the blood from a chest wound and two wounds to his arm. Hemingway reportedly used a 12-gauge shotgun in the attack.

"I was just in the wrong place at the right time," Venable said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

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