Man accused of killing girlfriend as she visited him in hospital, police say

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - A man in Missouri is accused of killing his girlfriend while she visited him in the hospital, according to authorities.James F. Lawson was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jessica Cyrus. The shooting happened as Cyrus visited Lawson at Centerpoint Medical Center on Oct. 22.According to court records, Independence police responded to the hospital Thursday and found the victim dead with a gunshot wound to her chest.Investigators say hospital surveillance showed Lawson in a wheelchair facing the victim as she struggled to breathe and bent forward, while Lawson appeared to reach at his pants and hip area with a dark object in his right hand. When officers arrested him, he had a holster on his hip and ammunition in his wheelchair.A Jackson County judge set bond at $250,000 cash.