Bartlett dentist and homeowner Bobby Eugene Massengill, 73, seemed to be in his right mind when he confessed to shooting and killing his female roommate at home last Thursday, according to Bartlett Police.
Bartlett officers responded to a report of a gunshot fired at the Glenchase Drive residence just before midnight on Aug. 2. They entered through the unlocked garage door, where Massengill met them.
They found Sheila Scott lying on the kitchen floor in front of the pantry with a gunshot wound to the left side of her chest.
While Officer C. Shaumburg gave first aid, he asked the victim if Massengill shot her, and she said yes. The officer asked if the shot was on purpose, and she nodded yes.
Officers found an empty .20-gauge shotgun on the floor close to the kitchen, along with one spent shotgun shell casing.
Bartlett Fire Department paramedics rushed Scott to Regional One Health, where she died at 2:25 a.m. Aug. 3.
They took Massengill to the Bartlett Justice Center, which houses the department’s headquarters, jail and court. He waived his Miranda rights and described what led up to the shooting.
He and Scott had been living together at his home for the past three months, and they had shopped for cars at Car Max and then shopped for groceries at Kroger on Thursday night. After dinner, the woman began drinking and working on the computer, Massengill said. He also drank a little but didn’t care for the fruity drinks Scott had made.
He headed to bed because he hadn’t been sleeping well for the past few nights. He heard Scott smashing things in the kitchen, so he sat up in bed and reached for the nearby shotgun.
Massengill said he just walked around the corner and shot her. He also tried to reload the weapon to shoot himself but wasn’t able to do so, he said.
He gave no explanation why he shot the victim.
The officer who took his statement said Massengill “was coherent, seemed to be in control of his facilities, did not slur or mumble while talking.”
Shelby County’s criminal court records show no previous local crimes for Massengill other than a 1996 speeding ticket.
WREG also reported that friends said Massengill has wrestled with mental health problems and his grief from two tragic deaths, that of his wife from dementia and his brother from cancer.
