Walter Ferri Guns Down Family in Apparent Murder-Suicide

Police say Ferri killed himself, along with Stacy and Sherry Lee and James Glass

On Monday, nineteen-year-old James Glass of Long Beach, Mississippi, was engaged to the love of his life, 19-year-old Stacy Lee, of Gulfport. Not only were the two set to be married, they were also expecting the birth of their first child. Today, James and Stacy are dead.  No wedding, no child, and no life to look forward to. All of that was stolen from them on Tuesday, when Stacy's stepfather shot them dead, along with Stacy's sister, 17-year-old Sherry Lee, in an apparent murder-suicide.

The Harrison County Sheriff's Department received an emergency 911 call at approximately 3:22 a.m., Tuesday, from a female caller who said that her stepfather, 50-year-old Walter Ferri, was holding a gun on her mother inside their Andre Drive home. As officers were dispatched to the scene, a second 911 call was received from the female caller at 3:37 a.m., notifying the dispatcher that someone had been shot. Further details from that conversation have not yet been released.

Details remain sketchy. However, at some point during the incident, the girls' mother, Sonja Ferri, managed to crawl out of a window in the back of the home and ran for help. Shortly thereafter, roughly 12 minutes after the first 911 call was received, five sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene.  Aware there was an armed suspect inside, but unaware of the current situation, the deputies maintained their distance while attempting to negotiate with Walter Ferri.

When deputies failed to make any progress with Ferri, they ordered him to come out of the house with his hands up. The time was 4:40 a.m. In response to their demands, Ferri yelled out, "No, I'm going to kill myself."  Moments later, a single gunshot rang out.

When deputies entered the home, they discovered Ferri's body slumped on the floor, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  A revolver and handgun lay close by. In the living room, deputies found the lifeless body of James Glass.  As they made their way to the back of the home, the smell of gunpowder still lingering in the air, deputies found the bodies of Stacy and Sherry inside a bathroom.

"One sister was laying up against the bathtub, and the other sister was laying on top of her," Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove told WLOX.com.

When recounting the scene to the media, deputies later said it appeared as though the sisters were attempting to hide when they were shot and that they had been huddling together in an apparent attempt to protect and comfort each other...

Continue Reading Walter Ferri Guns Down Family in Apparent Murder-Suicide

Photo Courtesy of Harrison County Sheriff's Department

Comments

[Angie]

I live in Gulfport, and I can't even believe this. I have been reading crimelibrary and all your other reportings for the last few years. This happened miles away, and I am glad that you have covered this awful tragedy.

[Queen Of Hearts]

OMG what made this man do this to his whole family and the new baby that will never even have a chance at life because of him! I am unclear as to if the wife got away or not,but god bless her if she did survive! to me it seems the economy and people losing their himes,jobs etc is a definite element in these murder/suicides lately!

[David Lohr]

Hi Queen of Hearts,

Yes, his wife did survive. He did not shoot her, although he did assault her before she managed to escape.

Thanks for commenting.

Regards,

David Lohr

[David Lohr]

Hi Angie,

I agree, it is a true tragedy. Thank you for following my writing all these years. I am very grateful to you for your continuing support.

I hope to read more of your comments in the future.

Regards,

David Lohr

[Reesy]

James was my friend...I went to high school with him...and I forever hope that Ferri burns in hell for the horrible crime he has commited...and I'm glad he's dead or I would have shot him myself. James was a sweet person and I'm going to love him and miss him forever..I attended the wake and funeral and that was the most toughest experience ever to see somebody who means the world to you like that...He was like a brother to me...In fact I felt like I lost a brother..If you could have only seen the pain his family felt....his daddy cried so much til he was red in the face...=(....At the wake friday night, tons of people showed, so much that there was not any parking places left..I was amazed how many people loved him and cared about him and came to show their support...