Local News

Woman Who Suffered Gunshot Wounds Has Died

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 08:14:57 CDT

A Hillsboro woman who was shot in late September prior to a traffic accident has died.

Mary Chesser passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at St. John's Hospital in Springfield. She was 68.

Chesser was involved in a single-vehicle accident in Hillsboro on Friday, Sep. 20, in which she had driven into the yard of a residence at the intersection of Fairground and Seymour Avenues. When Hillsboro Police Chief Randy Leetham arrived at the scene, he determined that injuries the victim had suffered were not from the accident, but rather were consistent with a shooting. Chesser's family called the police to inform them that an alleged shooting had occurred at the Free Methodist Church, about three blocks south of the scene of the accident.

David Chesser, 69, was identified as the suspect and was arrested at the church after attempting to enter it while armed with a handgun. The incident forced Hillsboro School District Officials to place the nearby Beckemeyer Elementary School on lockdown.

No additional information has been released. WSMI will have more on this story as it becomes available.