SPRINGFIELD (AP) - A southwest Missouri hospital patient who is suspected of killing himself last month during a double shooting in his room had cancer.
Greenlawn Funeral Homes said in an obituary that Booker Cox Jr., 79, died "after a long battle with cancer," the Springfield News-Leader reported. Police said the Branson real estate agent's wife, Carolyn Cox, 70, was struck in the chest during the Nov. 30 shooting at CoxHealth in Springfield. Her condition hasn't been released.
But while police have called Booker Cox's death an apparent self-inflicted shooting, they have not answered questions about who shot his wife, who owned the gun or how it was brought into the hospital, which prohibits weapons.
"The investigation is still ongoing, and we are not at a point in the investigation that we can release specific information related to evidence collected at the scene," said police Capt. David Millsap.
Stacy Fender, a spokeswoman for Cox, said the hospital has reviewed what happened, along with inspectors from the Missouri Department of Health and a health care accreditation organization.
"All reviews found CoxHealth's security measures and response to be thorough, immediate and appropriate," Fender said. "Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the family and staff who were affected by these sad events."
State and federal regulators have said they are investigating because of the shooting but also have released few details.