TX - Terri 'Missy' Bevers, 45, killed in church/suspect in SWAT gear, Midlothian, 18 Apr 2016 #47

[beubeubeu]

On May 5, 2016, the DallasNews reported:

"The killer may have used a cellphone to record the slaying, according to the affidavit." Ok. So, SP is filming with their cell phone while stabbing and shooting Missy? Is this possible recording an inference to a hired hit as it could be offered for proof that the deed is done? Is the GoPro headlamp capable of making a recording? (It may not be GoPro but the brand was mentioned once upon a time.)

I hate this thought but... if they're not sure...it may mean that the person
a) appeared to receive a call - while murdering Missy,
b) check something on their phone - while murdering Missy,
OR that they attacked Missy and as she fell - unable to run or even try to defend herself - they got out their phone and somewhat aimed it at Missy while continuing to stab/shot her.

All these possibilities sound nuts but it doesn't mean that it didn't happen.
Unless they weren't very careful with their choice of words, and actually meant that they noticed that perp had some device on them and may be recording the whole thing.

Btw. isn't it unusual to receive any unproffesional messages via LinkedIn?
I remember it being seen as rare, unacceptable and a big no-no, at least around 2016 in Europe.

The news article also contains the Updated version of the Creekside Church surveillance video where it begins with the SP exiting the kitchen and touching the Eastern wall with the right hand for balance. SP likely has an injured right leg, as the article states. Next, we see SP opening an unlocked closet in the Western hallway and exiting with a hammer. I believe the killer knew the hammer placed in that particular closet was meant for their nefarious purposes. Foreknowledge. Who could have placed a hammer in that closet for SP?

That injury could come as easy as side effect of kneeling on that leg for a bit too long, or squatting/bending over with whole body weight on that leg. Some minor pain for couple hours and then it will be gone without any medical assistance or anyone noticing it.
I don't have enough insight to theorise about the hammer.
It may be totally normal to stumble on some tools while wandering around that church. It may be sitting there for years, forgotten and unused but seen by some people. Wasn't that where maintenance tools were usually kept?
But if not, and if everything in that church was spot-on, no misplacement, all tidy and always where it should be and could be easily located then obviously, it'd be a huge thing.

I agree it is odd that some closet and room doors are left open, especially the Dutch door near the SW doors Missy entered. However, we were told there is more video not shown to the public but that SP behaves basically the same way throughout their milling around so there's a chance the SP closed the doors. We just don't know.

Broken glass may not have been visible to Missy as it could have come from the glass table in the W hallway near the locked closet door when the assault occurred. If MB made it all the way to look down the Eastern corridor, she could have noticed the broken glass doors at the NE corner but we're not certain she made it that far into the church before being attacked.

In the Southern hallway, when SP walks toward the W hallway, they are lit up like a Christmas tree with a headlamp, flashlight and the lights from above. Second image shows the headlamp shining on the wall as SP enters the sanctuary. For full impact of SP's confident behavior, may I suggest viewing the videos in slow motion?

Well, retracing steps and closing all doors previously left open would just add some more weirdness into it, wouldn't take away any.

That lazy, casual attempt to break in through the most basic doors and changing mind so quickly about wanting to get in is also bizarre.
What kind of burglar is unable to work through basic doors and uninterested with one of closed ones upon noticing that unlocked rooms don't have anything interesting in them?
Fake burglar should be even more concerned with making it look like a 100% normal burglary that's going to go "tragically wrong" later.
But instead this person looks like their absolute priority is to appear like they own the place with their outfit.

I don't want to spam this thread and I'd need to link over a dozen videos to show what I mean, but I searched for guys/girls dressing up as cops. And of course those I found weren't really pretending to be cops, but trying to appear as one for the purpose of some party, cosplay or experiment. I'd say that they look like "I don't think so" or "maybe...".
Real cops and army are composing themselves bit differently cause of training and practice, it's often hard to miss the cop-vibe.
And this one? They look like cliche I-own-this-small-town movie cop who has no other quality to him than this cop identity. They don't appear fit, or having a good posture but definitely like having a time in this outfit.

 

[SteveS]

I hate this thought but... if they're not sure...it may mean that the person
a) appeared to receive a call - while murdering Missy,
b) check something on their phone - while murdering Missy,
OR that they attacked Missy and as she fell - unable to run or even try to defend herself - they got out their phone and somewhat aimed it at Missy while continuing to stab/shot her.

All these possibilities sound nuts but it doesn't mean that it didn't happen.
Unless they weren't very careful with their choice of words, and actually meant that they noticed that perp had some device on them and may be recording the whole thing.

1 LE didn't say any of that, or anything like it, in the affidavit. All they said was that maybe some of it COULD have happened. Not that any of it did.

They are just making up things that who knows, what if, you never know, please give us everyone's phone-text=data records so we can see if there's anything to be found.

2 For those who have forgotten, LE said they have no video of the murder, or anything after the murder. From the time that MB disappears from view heading up the westside hallway, after that it's all unseen.

 

[5W's]

Snipped.

There wasn't necessarily any overkill. Overkill would be continuing to do damage after someone was already dead.

If a gun and another weapon were used, the killer probably first used the hammer, which might have already been in his hand or easily accessible when he was surprised.

Wounds from the hammer might have incapacitated Missy temporarily but might not have been fatal by themselves.

Assuming Missy was shot and that the information on that isn't a database error, then the perp probably shot her as an afterthought in order to avoid leaving a living witness who could alert authorities before he got away and who could possibly identify him later.

Yeah, I've literally never heard or read of the locution 'puncture wounds', being used as a synonym for 'gunshots' or 'bullet wounds'.

It could indicate a knife, but seems more like an ice pick or an awl.

squareandrabbet: I agree with you. That's why this is shocking and brutal. So IMO one, two or three shots maximum would have incapacitated Missy. Why go to the extent of these tools that you mentioned here. Even if there was a struggle (unless of course Missy was trying to grab the gun) shots being fired were enough. Also IMO if this were the case where the perp was surprised by Missy he/she (I still can't tell if its male or female) had a gun in one hand and the tool in the other. So its as if though the perp was either using both at the same time or had the hammer, ice pick or awl in their hand and then shot Missy. However, I could be wrong on this but I'm pretty sure LE initially said it may have been a burglary but nothing was taken so now they don't think so. But, how do we really know there was a struggle? I'm not convinced there was. My rationale is that if the perp was surprised by Missy the last thing the perp would want is for Missy to grab the tool and start defending herself with the tool so the perp shot her and then used the tool. It was deliberate over the top harm on Missy.

 

[Ozoner]

squareandrabbet: I agree with you. That's why this is shocking and brutal. So IMO one, two or three shots maximum would have incapacitated Missy. Why go to the extent of these tools that you mentioned here. Even if there was a struggle (unless of course Missy was trying to grab the gun) shots being fired were enough. Also IMO if this were the case where the perp was surprised by Missy he/she (I still can't tell if its male or female) had a gun in one hand and the tool in the other. So its as if though the perp was either using both at the same time or had the hammer, ice pick or awl in their hand and then shot Missy. However, I could be wrong on this but I'm pretty sure LE initially said it may have been a burglary but nothing was taken so now they don't think so. But, how do we really know there was a struggle? I'm not convinced there was. My rationale is that if the perp was surprised by Missy the last thing the perp would want is for Missy to grab the tool and start defending herself with the tool so the perp shot her and then used the tool. It was deliberate over the top harm on Missy.

You're suggesting a possibility, but LE has not shared enough information to draw the conclusion that you have drawn, IMO.

Logically, it is much more likely that if a gun and another weapon were both used, the other weapon was used first because the perp already had it in his hand. The gun would have been used second because the perp would have had to get it out of some kind of holster or pocket. It would have been used to "finish off" the victim/witness, IMO.

The perp might have been thinking something like, "I've already broken into a building and caused great bodily harm. If I get caught, I'm going away for decades. I can't let her live to identify me."

That scenario would have been even more likely if Missy had recognized the perp, which is a real possibility in a rural area like that. It isn't literally true that "everybody knows everybody" in those areas, but having spent time in areas like that, I think there's at least a 50% chance that Missy would have recognized any given local.

 

[beubeubeu]

squareandrabbet: I agree with you. That's why this is shocking and brutal. So IMO one, two or three shots maximum would have incapacitated Missy. Why go to the extent of these tools that you mentioned here. Even if there was a struggle (unless of course Missy was trying to grab the gun) shots being fired were enough. Also IMO if this were the case where the perp was surprised by Missy he/she (I still can't tell if its male or female) had a gun in one hand and the tool in the other. So its as if though the perp was either using both at the same time or had the hammer, ice pick or awl in their hand and then shot Missy. However, I could be wrong on this but I'm pretty sure LE initially said it may have been a burglary but nothing was taken so now they don't think so. But, how do we really know there was a struggle? I'm not convinced there was. My rationale is that if the perp was surprised by Missy the last thing the perp would want is for Missy to grab the tool and start defending herself with the tool so the perp shot her and then used the tool. It was deliberate over the top harm on Missy.

But why surprised perp would have a gun in his hand at all?
No logical reason to use a hammer or a crowbar while having the gun ready... but also no reason to carry a gun just cause someone may surprise them.
On the other hand some sense it makes to use whatever is available (already in their hand) or easiest to grab and then add a gun to it.

Nothing was taken, but perp spend significant amount of time in the church, kinda like looking for something. If they didn't manage to find it before Missy arrived, or were just about to take it... taking it AFTER commiting unplanned murder would just mean getting incriminating evidence.
Thats IMO pointing stronger at the theory of it being burglary gone wrong - cause if burglary was just to cover up targeted/premeditated murder, then no reason to not take anything.

 

[5W's]

I agree why would the perp have a gun in hand anyways? IDK but its easier to pull the trigger than actually confront where anything can happen in the moment? But my question regarding this scenario is why not drop the tool and just use the gun to quicky finish poor Missy. So, no I think the perp's actions were deliberate harm to Missy or whoever happened to unfortunately be in Missy's place at that moment. Then the perp quickly left.

 

[SteveS]

That scenario would have been even more likely if Missy had recognized the perp, which is a real possibility in a rural area like that. It isn't literally true that "everybody knows everybody" in those areas, but having spent time in areas like that, I think there's at least a 50% chance that Missy would have recognized any given local.

I agree the possibility that MB accidentally happened to recognize perp - motivating perp to feel a need to kill out of shame or secrecy - is very real. But I don't think the odds would be nearly as high as 50-50. Maybe not even as high as 5%.

The issue is that MB didn't live her life in an isolated, closed, rural community of a few thousand that saw each other everywhere. Instead, she was a "suburban soccer mom" raising kids with a side hustle in the outer Dallas southern suburbs, who would know a few people in a sea of strangers as she went through life like the rest of us. Some people in the broad area she would know, but way way more she wouldn't. She wasn't a "public figure" others would tend to know (or know of). I live in the same broad area, and I never heard of her before this case hit the news, and neither had anyone I know.

Still, there were certainly some people who she did know, or who knew her. And this happened in her area, so to speak. So even if the odds aren't huge, it's very possible.

 

[beubeubeu]

What stakes are we talking about here?
No prior record vs. some criminal past & being caught burglarizing church in Texas - nothing actually stolen (yet), some property damage done and either running away or politely waiting for cops to show up?

 

[beubeubeu]

I agree the possibility that MB accidentally happened to recognize perp - motivating perp to feel a need to kill out of shame or secrecy - is very real. But I don't think the odds would be nearly as high as 50-50. Maybe not even as high as 5%.

The issue is that MB didn't live her life in an isolated, closed, rural community of a few thousand that saw each other everywhere. Instead, she was a "suburban soccer mom" raising kids with a side hustle in the outer Dallas southern suburbs, who would know a few people in a sea of strangers as she went through life like the rest of us. Some people in the broad area she would know, but way way more she wouldn't. She wasn't a "public figure" others would tend to know (or know of). I live in the same broad area, and I never heard of her before this case hit the news, and neither had anyone I know.

Still, there were certainly some people who she did know, or who knew her. And this happened in her area, so to speak. So even if the odds aren't huge, it's very possible.

Not really a need for her to be able to recognize the perp, I'd say that perp knowing who she is and seeing her at least a couple times in the area would be enough. I mean their (perp's) belief that she knows who he/she is and that she could be able to recognise them could be enough... unless she caught the perp with uncovered face and that face belonged to someone with very distinctive features that would lead them to being immediately recognised by neighbours/family as soon as the news of the person being seen while burglarizing church and description would be released.

 

[Ozoner]

I agree the possibility that MB accidentally happened to recognize perp - motivating perp to feel a need to kill out of shame or secrecy - is very real. But I don't think the odds would be nearly as high as 50-50. Maybe not even as high as 5%.

The issue is that MB didn't live her life in an isolated, closed, rural community of a few thousand that saw each other everywhere. Instead, she was a "suburban soccer mom" raising kids with a side hustle in the outer Dallas southern suburbs, who would know a few people in a sea of strangers as she went through life like the rest of us. Some people in the broad area she would know, but way way more she wouldn't. She wasn't a "public figure" others would tend to know (or know of). I live in the same broad area, and I never heard of her before this case hit the news, and neither had anyone I know.

Still, there were certainly some people who she did know, or who knew her. And this happened in her area, so to speak. So even if the odds aren't huge, it's very possible.

Not really a need for her to be able to recognize the perp, I'd say that perp knowing who she is and seeing her at least a couple times in the area would be enough. I mean their (perp's) belief that she knows who he/she is and that she could be able to recognise them could be enough... unless she caught the perp with uncovered face and that face belonged to someone with very distinctive features that would lead them to being immediately recognised by neighbours/family as soon as the news of the person being seen while burglarizing church and description would be released.

These are good points. The perp might not have known whether Missy recognized him. The possibility that she might have recognized him or might have been able to identify him would have been enough.

It's also possible that this perp was intoxicated or high on drugs, in which case he whatever logic he might have been using could have been flawed or could have led to a violent reaction when he encountered Missy.

There have been quite a few cases where an interrupted burglar has killed a person (or in a number of cases, two people who had arrived together) even though the burglar could have easily fled, and, at worst, gotten a few years in prison for a B&E instead of life in prison or the death penalty for murder. If these guys were good at seeing the big picture, they probably wouldn't be criminals <modsnip>

These criminals are almost like animals in that they just react to situations, usually with violence. There's no weighing of the pros and cons. That's the problem when people strain to find a motive for a crime like this. Oftentimes there isn't much of a motive. It's just a reaction.

 

[Cryptic]

I think there's at least a 50% chance that Missy would have recognized any given local.

Respectfully, I think @SteveS 's odds of 5% recognition possibility offer better betting odds.

Had Missy been a life long resident of the olde school Midlothian- before the Metroplex started to gobble it down and when local life revolved around rural ranches, the steel mill, small scale youth sports leagues and a handful of relatively small churches, I would go with your 50% recognition odds.

But....

That Midlothian vanished about 20 years ago. As Steve mentioned, the new and present Midlothian in an exburb of DFW. The ranches have been turned into housing developments with lots of new faces and alot of temporary residents. Thus, chances of personal recognition in the new Midlothian go down, way down.

 

[Detective Willy]

So much speculation here over the years.

IMO it was a well planned and well covered up assassination of Missy.

Picked a time with no witnesses and made sure the job was done.

It was no accident.

Any LE investigator worth their salt knows where the arrows point but proving it is problematic.

 

[Ozoner]

So much speculation here over the years.

IMO it was a well planned and well covered up assassination of Missy.

Picked a time with no witnesses and made sure the job was done.

It was no accident.

Any LE investigator worth their salt knows where the arrows point but proving it is problematic.

There is no evidence to support your theory, and logic argues against it, IMO. Someone who wanted to kill Missy did not even need to enter the building.

Somebody who wanted to make it look like a burglary would have stolen something and then destroyed it if this was, as you say, well planned.

If you're suggesting that it was a paid hit, that idea can essentially be dismissed out of hand, IMO. The behavior demonstrated by the perp is simply not how paid killers operate. Anything as simple as a routine patrol by law enforcement or the early arrival of a student could have thrown a monkey wrench into the works, and paid killers don't take those kinds of silly risks.

Occam's razor here is that the killer broke into the Church—on a Monday morning—hoping to find the Sunday collections, which weren't actually there.

IMO, the reason that this hasn't been solved is that the killer has no connection to Missy whatsoever. Stranger murders are notoriously difficult to solve.

 

[Cryptic]

Occam's razor here is that the killer broke into the Church—on a Monday morning—hoping to find the Sunday collections, which weren't actually there.

I agree, that is a good application of Occams razor.

Another good application of Occam's razor would be that the murder is tied to the victim's uhhmm..... "extracurricular" activities which can generate strong emotional responses.

At the same time, Occam's razor seems to be getting dull in this case:

- At the end of the day, and even accounting for varying levels of competency amongst burglars, it does not look like a burglary.

- The police have probably identified the other participants in the extra curricular activities as well as individuals who may have been angered by those activities. Yet, no results have been achieved.

 

[Ozoner]

- At the end of the day, and even accounting for varying levels of competency amongst burglars, it does not look like a burglary.

Snipped.

It's true that it doesn't look like the typical burglary, but there's something that I would ask you to consider.

When you start to look at some of the particular circumstances, it does start to look very much like other burglaries that match those circumstances, in my opinion.

In my state, we have an area that has more summer cottages than year-round homes. I don't spend too much time in that area these days because of work, but I spent a lot of time in that part of the state during the 90s, when I was in college and had quite a bit of free time.

It was fairly common for those cottages to experience break ins, and many of those break ins are a lot like this burglary of the church. Oftentimes, not much was taken because there wasn't anything of value to take. If there was any cash or jewelry around, that would be gone, of course.

It wasn't unusual for there to be evidence that that burglar had taken his time milling about. Food would sometimes be eaten—cooked, even—and so on. Oftentimes the B&E wouldn't be discovered for weeks or months because cottage owners routinely go that long without without visiting their property.

LE would take a report, but they typically wouldn't do anything to investigate. Most of the time these cases didn't even make the local papers. You wouldn't hear about them unless you were a local.

What this crime has in common with those crimes was that the burglar likely thought that he had a very-low risk target where no one would be around for an extended period of time. He was probably shocked that Missy showed up when she did.

So when you start to look at the circumstances under which this crime was initiated—a totally isolated building in the early morning hours—the burglary starts to look less and less unusual.

 

[AmandaSkis]

Snipped.

It's true that it doesn't look like the typical burglary, but there's something that I would ask you to consider.

When you start to look at some of the particular circumstances, it does start to look very much like other burglaries that match those circumstances, in my opinion.

In my state, we have an area that has more summer cottages than year-round homes. I don't spend too much time in that area these days because of work, but I spent a lot of time in that part of the state during the 90s, when I was in college and had quite a bit of free time.

It was fairly common for those cottages to experience break ins, and many of those break ins are a lot like this burglary of the church. Oftentimes, not much was taken because there wasn't anything of value to take. If there was any cash or jewelry around, that would be gone, of course.

It wasn't unusual for there to be evidence that that burglar had taken his time milling about. Food would sometimes be eaten—cooked, even—and so on. Oftentimes the B&E wouldn't be discovered for weeks or months because cottage owners routinely go that long without without visiting their property.

LE would take a report, but they typically wouldn't do anything to investigate. Most of the time these cases didn't even make the local papers. You wouldn't hear about them unless you were a local.

What this crime has in common with those crimes was that the burglar likely thought that he had a very-low risk target where no one would be around for an extended period of time. He was probably shocked that Missy showed up when she did.

So when you start to look at the circumstances under which this crime was initiated—a totally isolated building in the early morning hours—the burglary starts to look less and less unusual.

Ozoner,

Everything you wrote in your post makes 100% sense and I can agree with all of it.

The part that gives me pause is if the perp was shocked to see Missy, to see anyone, at the church at that early hour on a Monday morning, then why was the perp armed with a gun and some tool? Maybe the gun was brought along for the same reason that the perp wore SWAT gear, which was to feel like a bada**? All of the actions combined are what make me scratch my head.

Wandering around, half-heartedly looking around, but then suddenly exploding into violence and escalating into murder.

 

[Cryptic]

It's true that it doesn't look like the typical burglary, but there's something that I would ask you to consider.

When you start to look at some of the particular circumstances, it does start to look very much like other burglaries that match those circumstances, in my opinion.

It was fairly common for those cottages to experience break ins, and many of those break ins are a lot like this burglary of the church. Oftentimes, not much was taken because there wasn't anything of value to take.

It wasn't unusual for there to be evidence that that burglar had taken his time milling about. Food would sometimes be eaten....

Wow, good description of a sub type of burglary that would match what happened at the church:

Amateur burglar, thinks they have alot of time, enjoys well.... "screwing around" in the locations almost as much as they do looking for the usually non existent valuables.

Then add the possibility of the burglar being drug addled and / or say, having deep seated fantasies about violence. They then make a fuzzy decision to impulsively attack the victim when she arrives.

A dull razor could also cut towards the "extra curricular activities" as well. Perhaps the perpetrator was seething in silence? Or, are somewhat removed from the actual activities. Thus, harder to identify?

In the end, what makes this case so frustrating is that dull razors and still make pretty good cuts. As a result, its hard to develop a motive.

@evilwise also presented possibility where the perpetrator is a participant in a type of social media hosted movie. The makers upload the amateur movie in bits and pieces to social media platforms. Viewers are invited independently participate in the plot or to upload content.

Costumed participant enters church as part of the unfolding plot. Maybe for quiet thrills, maybe they hope to upload "cool" content. Experiences a "now what" moment once the initial thrill wears off. Starts to screw around. Then impulsively attacks Missy?

Though perhaps less likely than "cottage style burglar" or "Extracurricular activities", dull razors still cut. The strange circumstances of the crime can also cut towards "social media movie wanna'be".

 

[evilwise]

I don't think it was an impulsive attack, I think Missy backed him into a corner. She seems like a very confident woman who was in a place she felt completely secure. She may have even tried to detain him herself.

 

[beubeubeu]

Summer/cottage houses are burglarised everywhere, and at least I got an impression that it's pretty common for people to spend significant amount of time - days or even weeks there, cause as long as they have it figured and are pretty confident that the risk of owners showing up there is low or slim to none. It's essentially "Free housing", sometimes with free food and even alcohol.
I wouldn't say that's same type of burglary, unless...

Whoa...
It makes a lot more sense with assumption that it was random burglary and the perp not only lacked any connections to Missy, but also to this particular church, and possibly even to any church at all.
Yeah, it was early Monday morning. But I'd bet that most people who are religious and heavily involved in their church - if asked if they'd think that's unusual or unexpected for a priest (or a minister, or a person who's involved in organising some church events, making decoration or even doing maitenance work) to show up there/be there late at night or early in the morning they would say: NO.
It depends on a community and the type of church it is, cause not everything will be seen as common/not-weird everywhere, but I think that some circumstances of that presence would be seen as obvious and understood for most religious people and church attendees.

Who would not expect anyone there? Someone who's not involved in church and tries to use some sort of common sense to figure out when it'll be empty.

The part that gives me pause is if the perp was shocked to see Missy, to see anyone, at the church at that early hour on a Monday morning, then why was the perp armed with a gun and some tool? Maybe the gun was brought along for the same reason that the perp wore SWAT gear, which was to feel like a bada**? All of the actions combined are what make me scratch my head.

Wandering around, half-heartedly looking around, but then suddenly exploding into violence and escalating into murder.

Tools - to make burglarising easier: break glass, open some doors.
Gun - for their "safety" reasons or out of habit.
Outfit and gun could be chosen simply cause perp was absolutely terrified with the idea of being recognised or caught and determined to do everything what in their power to prevent that. Maybe not necessarily planning to murder someone, but it's not like people are carrying their guns only when they want to murder someone.

Exploding into violence doesn't fit what we see on the surveillance that well, but what about panic and fear of being caught? Recognised? Usual burglar would just put on a mask and dark clothes (easier to walk in, see in, lighter, more convenient in general). This one had SWAT outfit and closed helmet on them. If he chosed that cause of fear of being caught, then mixed with lack of experience...
Experienced burglar, drunk/drugged or not is more likely to figure that few months/years for badly done job is better deal than risking death penalty. First timers or those who are facing life/decades in prison have their motivation for acting violently if they see there their chance to get away with something.

 

[5W's]

You're suggesting a possibility, but LE has not shared enough information to draw the conclusion that you have drawn, IMO.

Logically, it is much more likely that if a gun and another weapon were both used, the other weapon was used first because the perp already had it in his hand. The gun would have been used second because the perp would have had to get it out of some kind of holster or pocket. It would have been used to "finish off" the victim/witness, IMO.

The perp might have been thinking something like, "I've already broken into a building and caused great bodily harm. If I get caught, I'm going away for decades. I can't let her live to identify me."

That scenario would have been even more likely if Missy had recognized the perp, which is a real possibility in a rural area like that. It isn't literally true that "everybody knows everybody" in those areas, but having spent time in areas like that, I think there's at least a 50% chance that Missy would have recognized any given local.

Yes, in a small town there is 50% chance at least that Missy may have recognized the perp. and so its possible that the perp realized this also and had to make sure she couldn't identify. And yes the gun would have to either be taken out of a holster or pocket. Yes, also the tool was already in the perp's hand as they were breaking the glass so it is hard to say for sure. IDK the fact that this perp was wearing what they were a SWAT uniform makes it seem as if it wasn't just a disguise. I mean they could have used a ski mask. Although with that though if the perp is female a ski mask may give away something in terms of identification. I suppose the helmut really covered them up. The perp could have used a another disguise with the same visual aspect to them. Some other bulky disguise. Along with my assumption about the motive the SWAT uniform makes me think there is more to this than Missy surprising the perp. That's one of the reasons it looks like deliberate over harm. It being a small town I wonder if LE thought it would be best not to sow panic in the community that there was this kind of individual running around. IMO its possible. Who knows maybe the perp has done other nasty business somewhere else and not gotten caught. As its not the same scene but something different. We don't know. We know that LE has done what they can to have this perp brought to justice. But I wouldn't be surprised that LE doesn't/didn't want to sow panic. Who knows maybe when more time passes and a suspect hasn't been found LE will be more specific in terms of what happened that night.