2010 — Aug 3, Workplace shootings, worker kills 8 coworkers/self, Manchester, CT — 9

— 9  AP. “Gunman cuts down 8 workers.” North Adams Transcript, MA, 8-4-2010, p. A5.

— 9  AP. “U.S. gunman targeted managers.” Brandon Sun, Manitoba. 8-5-2010, p. A6.

 

Narrative Information

 

AP, Aug 4: “Manchester, Conn. (AP) – A driver caught stealing beer from the warehouse where he worked agreed to resign his job Tuesday [Aug 3] and then as ‘cold as ice,’ one of his victims said, went on a shooting rampage, killing eight people and injuring two before committing suicide.

 

“Omar Thornton pulled out a handgun after a meeting in which he was shown video evidence of the thefts and was offered the chance to quit or be fired. ‘Then he went out on this rampage,’ company vice president Steve Hollander told The Associated Press. ‘He was cool and calm. He didn’t yell. He was cold as ice. He didn’t protest when we were meeting with him to show him the video of him stealing. He didn’t contest it. He didn’t complain. He didn’t argue. He didn’t admit or deny anything. He just agreed to resign. And then he just unexplainably pulled out his gun and started blasting.’ Hollander said he thinks Thornton, 34 had guns stashed in his lunch box. The executive said two people standing near him were shot in the head and killed, but he was only grazed in the jaw and the arm. ‘He shot at me twice and hit me a couple times,’ he said. ‘By just the grace of God, I don’t know how he missed me.’

 

“About 50 to 70 people were in the Hartford Distributors warehouse about 10 miles east of Hartford during a shift change when the gunman opened fire around 7 a.m. …. The shooting was over in a matter of minutes. The victims were found all over the complex, and authorities said they didn’t know if Thornton fired randomly or targeted specific co-workers.

 

“After shooting his co-workers, Thornton called his mother, who tried for 10 minutes to talk him out of killing himself, his uncle Will Holliday told reporters. ‘He said, ‘I killed the five racists that was there that was bothering me’.’ Holliday said. ‘He said, ‘The cops are going to come in so I am going to take care of myself’.’” (Associated Press. “Gunman cuts down 8 workers.” North Adams Transcript, MA, 8-4-2010, A5.)

 

Brandon Sun, Aug 5: “Manchester, Conn. – The warehouse driver who fatally shot eight co-workers at a Connecticut beer distributorship before killing himself apparently targeted mangers who had hired a private detective to tail him and forced him to resign because he stole beer from work, police said Wednesday [Aug 4].

 

“Omar Thornton carried two 9 mm handguns to Hartford Distributors inside his lunch box Tuesday and left a rifle in his car.

 

“After a disciplinary hearing where he was shown video of himself stealing and then resigned, he asked for a drink of water and went to a kitchenette where his lunch box was…He went to the kitchen, took out his guns, walked out into the hall and began shooting ‘as soon as he got into the hallway,’ Davis [Manchester Police Lt.] said. All the weapons were registered, he said.

 

“The first people shot were managers or executives involved in Thornton’s firing, Davis said. He said it’s not clear whether everyone was targeted or whether some were shot randomly. Two men also were wounded.

 

“Thornton left the office area and went into a large section of the warehouse section where more victims were found, Davis said. He chased one or more of them outside into a parking lot, had to shoot a locked glass door to get back in the building and continued shooting. One man who was fatally shot tried to flee Thornton on a forklift, which crashed into an electrical conduit and started a small fire, Davis said. Thornton also passed by at least two people and did not shoot them, Davis said, including one woman in a wheelchair.

 

“Finally, Thornton called his mother to say goodbye, said his uncle, Wilbert Holliday. Thornton, who is black, had complained of racial harassment for months to family and friends. He indicated he did target people – but because they had harassed him. ‘I shot the racists that was bothering me,’ he told his mother.

 

“Among the people shot were several in positions of responsibility at Hartford Distributors, including Steve Hollander, 50, a member of the family that owns the company, and who met with Thornton at the disciplinary hearing. Hollander was shot twice but survived.” (AP. “U.S. gunman targeted managers.” Brandon Sun, Manitoba,  8-5-2010, p. A6.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Gunman cuts down 8 workers.” North Adams Transcript, MA, 8-4-2010, A5. Accessed 5-16-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/massachusetts/north-adams/north-adams-transcript/2010/08-04/page-5?tag

 

Associated Press. “U.S. gunman targeted managers.” Brandon Sun, Manitoba, Canada. 8-5-2010, p. A6. Accessed 5-16-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/ca/manitoba/brandon/brandon-sun/2010/08-05/page-11?tag