SUSPECT SOUGHT IN FATAL SHOOTING
Man tied to later armed workplace attack
A Wendell man wanted for fatally shooting his girlfriend early yesterday morning and wounding a co-worker was described by neighbors as a “friendly guy” as an interstate manhunt for the accused killer stretched late into the night.
“He was a dog lover and a pretty friendly guy,” said one of Lewis H. Starkey III’s neighbors, who asked not to be identified because Starkey remained at large and they worried about allegations of his capacity for violence.
Officials said Starkey, 53, is believed to be driving a red 2013 Lincoln MKX SUV with Vermont license pate QLTMKR and should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
Northwestern District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Mary Carey said Starkey shot and killed his 48-year-old girlfriend, Amanda Glover, shortly after midnight.
The neighbor told the Herald they heard what they thought was a late Fourth of July celebration at his house.
“I thought it was firecrackers,” the neighbor said. “I heard shouting. By the time I went to check to see if everything was OK, the police were there.”
Carey said the shooting was “not random.”
About an hour after the shooting at his home, Chicopee police Officer Michael Wilk said Starkey showed up at Specialized Trucking in Chicopee, where he had been working, and opened fire on three people who were there.
Although Starkey’s gun malfunctioned during the assault, Wilk said, a man was injured when he was struck by bullet fragments and glass from a broken window.
Police were waiting to speak with that victim, Wilk said. He said it was too soon to say if the man, whose name was not released last night, was targeted.
“An employee confronted him and he ran,” Wilk said.
The weapon used in the Chicopee shooting has been recovered by police.
Wilk declined to describe it other than to say it’s not a handgun.
Anyone who spots Starkey or the Lincoln is being urged to immediately contact state police Sgt. Christopher Baran or Trooper Gary Darling at 413625-8200.