Police: 1 dead at scene of reported shooting, house fire

SPRINGFIELD — A person was found dead inside a home on West Liberty Street after police responded to the area on a report of at least one person shot and a house fire, according to police and dispatch records.

>> PHOTOS: From the scene of shooting, fire

Springfield police Capt. Tom Zawada said officers were called around 2 p.m. to both the 300 block of West Liberty and the area of West Eucild Avenue, which is a block south of West Liberty.

Zawada described the scenes as chaotic and said multiple 911 calls were coming in.

“The lady was running out between the houses on Euclid. She was covered in gasoline. She had been shot in the side of her head,” said Erin Lewis, who called 911 after she saw what was going on. “She’s screaming he tried to shoot me, he tried to shoot me.”

Zawada did not confirm whether the woman was actually shot, but did said they found an individual on West Euclid, who was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center.

SCENE: 2 shooting victims found at Springfield fire SCENE: 2 shooting victims found at Springfield fire

Police have not said how the person inside the house died, however heavy smoke was pouring from the house when investigators first arrived.

Lewis said the wounded woman explained to her what happened.

“He had poured gasoline all over her and he had tried to shoot her, then he had lit the house on fire and then shot himself,” Lewis said the woman told her.

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Police have not confirmed whether the woman’s account of what happened is was they’ve actually uncovered during their investigation.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office was on the scene around 4 p.m.

No other details were immediately available.