Mississippi gunman's girlfriend interrupts memorial

The girlfriend of a man who shot dead five colleagues at a Mississippi factory interrupted a memorial service by standing up in the church and saying her partner was a victim too.

As the local mayor said the actions of one man did not reflect the attitude of a community, Shirley Price stood up and said: “Excuse me. Don’t criticise this man. He was a human being, too.”

And she waved the service order, which included the names of the dead and wounded. “His name was not on here, he was a victim too,” she said. “He was a kind and loving human being.”

Several people at the service stood up and applauded. Price then broke into tears and was led out of the church.

Her boyfriend, Doug Williams, committed suicide on Tuesday after gunning down 14 colleagues and killing five at the Lockheed Martin aircraft parts plant in Meridian.

Outside the First Baptist Church, Price said Williams had “felt like everybody was against him,” knew he had problems and that Lockheed officials had ignored him when he sought help.

She said he was taking medicine for depression and high blood pressure.

A Lockheed spokesman said the company was not aware of 48-year-old Williams seeking help at any time.

Williams, who was white, had been frustrated because he thought black people got more opportunities in society, colleagues said.