Jimmy Joe St. AndrewsTICONDEROGA, N.Y. -
A manhunt is over in Essex County, New York. Investigators believe the suspect in a Friday shooting has commited suicide.
Police had been looking for 45- year-old Jimmy Joe St. Andrews in connection with a shooting Friday. Gary Namer has had trouble with him before.
"The man's a lose cannon," he said. "He's obsessed with his ex-wife."
St. Andrews was arrested last month after he allegedly attacked Namer outside a Ticonderoga bar. Namer says St. Andrews was upset he'd asked his ex-wife, Kellie, on a date and sent her flowers. "While I was sitting down, he come up and punched me in the face, splattered my nose, cut me above the eye. Once I rolled out of the chair he proceeded to kick me," Namer said.
And now St. Andrews is in trouble with the law again -- this time an even more violent attack.
In the latest incident, police say St. Andrews walked up to a gated fence around 10:45 Friday evening, made a statement to the handful of people sitting on the other side of the fence, pulled out a gun and started firing.
"The suspect showed up and stayed on scene for less than 30 seconds," said Ticonderoga Police Chief Mark Johns.
But it was enough time for him to unload six bullets from a small caliber handgun. Three of them struck a 45-year old man, who neighbors have identified as Mark Tyler. Bullets hit him in each foot and in the abdomen. He remains in stable condition at the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
"He was not the intended victim," Chief Johns said.
Police call the shooting domestic related. They would not say who they believe the intended target was. But St. Andrews' estranged wife was one of the people at the gathering.
Monday police continued their exhaustive search for St. Andrews, focusing on wooded areas. A dive team was also called in. St. Andrews reportedly called a relative minutes after the shooting, threatening to hurt himself.
"Our searches are focused on the Ticonderoga, Putnam and Hague areas at this point," Chief Johns said.
Late Monday, police say a body was found in a wooded area near the Mount Hope Cemetery - the victim of an apparent suicide. Police believe it is Jimmy Joe St. Andrews - but are still working on a positive identification.
St. Andrews was involved in another high profile case. He was convicted of hosting an underage drinking party in 2009. His son attended the party and later crashed his car at 130 miles per hour, killing two teenagers -- including one from Vermont. A state appeals court later tossed the conviction saying there was not enough evidence to support that St. Andrews was aware kids were drinking.
