ST. LOUIS • The owner of a popular Irish bar was found dead in an SUV on Interstate 55 Wednesday night.

Patrick McVey, 57, was found slumped behind the steering wheel of his dark gray Ford Explorer just before 6 p.m. Wednesday. Police say he was suffering from gunshot wounds and was dead at the scene.

But police believe he was shot hours earlier. They say he had been shot by an unknown suspect or suspects while driving south on the interstate at about 2:30 p.m. Officers said a witness helped them determine the time, but did not give any other details.

It wasn't immediately clear why it took more than three hours to discover him. An employee of the Missouri Department of Transportation reported the incident after he stopped to check out the vehicle parked on the shoulder of I-55 and saw McVey unconscious inside. The scene is near Carondelet Park.

Police don't have any suspects or released any information about a possible motive in the killing. The death is classified as a homicide.