Names Released In Creve Coeur Murder-Suicide

CREVE COEUR, MO — Police have released the names of a man and woman shot in an apparent murder-suicide in Creve Coeur Sunday morning. St. Louis County Police say they found the bodies of 52-year-old Michael Moore and 44-year-old Michelle Moore after being called to the house to check on the well-being of one of the people who lived there.

While looking through the windows, officers said they saw a man walking in the back of the home. Before they could get his attention, they heard gunshots and retreated until a tactical unit could arrive.

When police eventually entered the home, they found two people dead. Police say they believe Michael Moore shot his wife then himself.

According to an obituary posted by Kutis Funeral Home, Michelle Moore had a master's degree in speech pathology from St. Louis University. Her visitation will be held March 28. The family asks for donations to Christ Memorial Lutheran Church or Lutheran South High School in lieu of flowers.

More than 30,000 Americans are killed by guns every year and twice that number are injured, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 13,000 are murdered. The rest take their own lives or are victims of shooting accidents.

According to the gun control group Everytown, millions of American women are shot by domestic partners every year, and the presence of a gun in the home makes a woman five times more likely to die from domestic violence. Indeed, most mass shootings in the United States are not high-profile attacks like Las Vegas, Orlando or Parkland, Florida; 54 percent are related to domestic or family violence.

A 2008 study from the Harvard School of Public Health also showed a link between firearm ownership and suicide. "Studies show that most [suicide] attempters act on impulse, in moments of panic or despair. Once the acute feelings ease, 90 percent do not go on to die by suicide," said Harvard Injury Control Research Center director David Hemenway, whose research revealed that whether someone who attempts suicide lives or dies is heavily dependent on their access to firearms.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

Photo by Renee Schiavone/Patch