WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS — Authorities have identified the victim of a Sunday fatal shooting in White Sulphur Springs as Spa Hot Springs Motel owner Gene Gudmundson.
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“We've lost probably one of the anchors of this community,” stated local artist Gary Larson. “He was an anchor.”
According to the hot springs’ website, Gudmundson first stopped by White Sulphur Springs in the late 1980s, spending a night there. After learning it was for sale, he bought the springs and motel, running it with his wife, Annie.
Just across the street stands local artist Gary Larson’s studio, who has known Gudmundson since 2020.
“Well, it's just utterly... I just felt crushed,” Larson said. “I couldn’t speak. It took me a while just to get my composure.”
Gudmundson commissioned Larson to paint some of the murals at the springs over the course of almost four years, but the two were more than just business partners.
"Gene was a friend,” Larson expressed. “This is a loss of a friend.”
It wasn’t just Larson who knew Gudmundson. With the city population just under 1,000, Larson says the tight-knit community all knew Gudmundson for the person he was and the business he ran, helping bring in tourists from all over.
“I never met a person who didn’t like Gene,” Larson stated. “He’s a very kind gentleman, super kind. He's generous in ways you can’t even imagine.”
For now, hot springs staff say they will remain open for visitors, but Larson expects the impact to be felt for years to come.
“You know, there's gonna be - there's a shock wave - but you know how it is,” Larson continued, “you don't really know until it's all over.”
Police arrested a suspect, Kyle Ann Morrow, 73, on suspicion of the killing. According to court documents, staff members at the hotel said she walked into an office, and gunshots rang out. She later allegedly told police she killed Gudmundson, according to court documents.
Morrow's bond is set at $1 million, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 11 at 2 p.m.
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