The victim from a Wednesday morning shooting in Tyrone died early this morning at a Springfield hospital, according to Lt. Melissa Dunn of the Texas County Sheriff’s Department.
Dunn said Craig Valle, 59, died from injuries he suffered when he was allegedly shot in the head around 9 a.m. Wednesday. Dunn said Coroner Tom Whitaker is en route to Springfield to perform an autopsy.
William R. Wood, 36, of 2484 Carter Lane, is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting. He appeared for an arraignment Thursday afternoon before Judge Doug Gaston and is held in the Texas County Jail without bond.
Dunn said Wood could potentially face a new charge since the victim died. She said charges may be amended at Wood’s next court hearing.
EARLIER: An Elk Creek man who allegedly shot another man in the head Wednesday morning told authorities he was upset the victim was at his home, pointed a gun at him and it “went off.”
William R. Wood, 36, of 2484 Carter Lane, is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action following the shooting. He appeared for an arraignment Thursday afternoon before Judge Doug Gaston and is held without bond.
According to a probable cause statement, Wood said he “was really messed up on drugs and didn’t mean to hurt (the victim)” following his arrest at 6:26 p.m. Wednesday. He gave Lt. Melissa Dunn directions to a wooded area, where a .22 caliber rifle with two live rounds in the gun was discovered.
Dunn said authorities received a report of a man with a gunshot wound to the head shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday. She said the victim was flown from the scene to a Springfield hospital. The victim’s name has not yet been released, pending notification of relatives. He remains in critical condition.
Dunn said the incident took place where Wood had been living, at his mother’s Carter Lane property in the Tyrone area, off of Elder Road near Highway 137.
Wood had hidden his vehicle in a wooded area following the alleged shooting, Dunn said. The gun was later located nearby.
“The help and cooperation we received from the neighbors in that area was instrumental in the quick location and arrest of the suspect,” Dunn said.
Wood has a lengthy criminal record that includes multiple DWI convictions and a two-year prison sentence from April 2009 on charges of resisting arrest for a felony. Dunn said he was on parole and that after his probation officer was notified, Wood will be returned to the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Probable cause statement from shooting