McCOMB – Four people are dead, including the gunman, after aWednesday domestic dispute that began in a McComb bank, Pike Countyofficials said.

Pike County Coroner Percy Pittman identified the dead as RachelJ. Lanham, 36, of 1210 Parklane Apartments, bank employee RonnieLarrimore, 53, address unavailable, customer James FrederickFayard, 53, of 901 Jackson Ave., all of McComb, and gunman RobertLanham, 35, of 6859 Thompson Road, Smithdale.

McComb Police Chief Billie Hughes said Robert Lanham walked intothe Regions Bank on Main Street, where his ex-wife Rachel Lanhamworked for Morgan Keegan, shortly after 11 a.m. Officials saidLanham fatally shot Larrimore and Fayard before taking RachelLanham hostage.

Hughes said he did not know what the relationship was betweenRachel Lanham and Larrimore except that they worked in the sameoffice. He said the Lanhams were going through a separation thatcould have been the cause for Lanham’s spree.

“They were going through a contentious divorce and I think therewas some property involved,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s whatstarted this or not.”

Fayard, Hughes said, was killed after trying to help RachelLanham escape. He said the front corner of the bank was torn up anda window broken out in the scuffle before Fayard was shot.

“That guy is a genuine hero,” Hughes said. “He had braces onboth knees. And rather than hide, he tried to get her out of thereand they had a good fight before he was shot. He tackled the manwith the gun to try to give her a chance to escape.”

Pittman said Robert Lanham died of a self-inflicted gunshotwound to the head that he sustained while driving.

Although early reports indicated Rachel Lanham was harmed anddumped out of the vehicle on the side of Highway 51, Pittman saidshe appears to have died from the impact of the vehicle’s collisionwith a tree. He said the car door was open, and that she may haveactually been trying to escape the vehicle at the time of thecollision.

“The car hit that cedar tree and she looked like she wasejected,” Pittman said.

Both Pittman and Hughes said there were no immediate signs ofgunshot wounds on Rachel Lanham’s body.

Hughes said all four deceased will undergo autopsies.