We're starting to learn more about the gunman who killed the manager of a Cost Cutters in Sioux Falls on Tuesday.
Two protection orders were filed against 38-year-old Tyrone Smith on the same day he took his two children from day care at gunpoint, killed 24-year-old Amanda Connors and then turned the gun on himself while he was inside the hair salon.
Police say that Smith started the deadly chain of events when he went to his child's day care and demanded his two young children at gunpoint. He then tied up the babysitter and took the battery out of her cell phone.
Smith then drove to Cost Cutters where his girlfriend, who's the mother of the two children, was working. Amanda Connors, who is the manager of the store, was outside at the time and called into the store to warn the girlfriend that Smith was coming.
Connors then drove her car up to the front door and exchanged words with Smith, who was standing in the front door of the store. That's when Smith shot and killed her.
"I kind of see her as a hero because she called into the store, notified the mother, let them know what was going on and basically got herself in a position where she was at the wrong place at the wrong time," Sioux Falls Police Chief Doug Barthel said.
After shooting Connors, police say Smith went inside the store with his two young children and tied up his girlfriend and three other Cost Cutters employees with zip ties. He fired one shot inside that grazed the leg of one of the women but then released his two children and the women about 20 minutes later unharmed.
Smith then killed himself.
Smith's girlfriend had filed a protection order against him earlier that day after they had an argument Sunday night and Smith was arrested for choking her. Smith's own mother also took a protection order out against the 38-year-old on Tuesday on behalf of Smith's 17-year-old son who tried to intervene in fight on Sunday.
All told there are 14 different protection orders involving Smith filed in Minnehaha County since 2009. Some of the orders were taken out by him against other people but there are five filed against him, including the two that were filed Tuesday.
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