Police keep working photography-shop murders

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La Crosse Police are still looking for suspects in the weekend shooting deaths of a photography store owner and his teenage son. Paul Petras, 56, and A.J. Petras, 19, were killed at their store, May’s Photo, around 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15.

Police said a photography class was just wrapping up around that time, and the store was about to close. Authorities were not notified about the shootings until three hours later.

A diner at a bistro across the street saw a person run out of the photography shop, yelling for somebody to call 911. On Sunday, Sept. 16, investigators asked anyone who attended the class, or might have seen anything suspicious around the store, to call La Crosse Police.

Since then, they say people are coming forward with information, such as a suspicious person was seen inside around 4:15; that the shop had been doing good business; and, neither the owner nor his son were in any kind of trouble. Authorities have also interviewed nearly all the students who were in the photography class held at the store on the day of the murders.

Officials repeated yesterday that there’s no imminent threat to public safety.

Paul Petras’s father originally opened May’s Photo, after owning a similar store in Winona, Minn. Paul’s son A.J. graduated from La Crosse Aquinas High School in June 2011 and was a member of the school’s ski team.

Tags: crime, courts, business, wisconsin