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9 Dead In Manchester, Conn. Workplace Shooting
1:19 PM PDT, August 3, 2010
MANCHESTER, Conn. —
Nine people are dead in a workplace shooting at a family-owned beer and wine wholesaler, police said.
Sources said Omar S. Thornton, 34, was a driver for Hartford Distributors and was described by a Teamsters Union official as a recent hire and a "disciplinary problem."
"The union was bringing him in to meet with the company to remedy the problem," said John Hollis, a Teamsters official. "He started shooting."
Thornton shot a number of people and then shot himself with a .223 caliber semiautomatic rifle as police approached and is dead, sources said. Two people were shot outside the building and five were shot inside, police sources said.
Hollis declined to describe the nature of the disciplinary problem, and he said he wasn't certain if the meeting had taken place when the shooting started. A law enforcement source said Thornton had been suspected of stealing from the business.
Joanne Hannah, who lives in the Enfield neighborhood where Thornton lived until about a month ago, said her daughter Kristi had dated Thornton for eight years. Thornton, who is black, had complained about being racially harassed at work. Thornton brought his complaints to his superiors, who did nothing about it, she said her daughter told her.
Joanne Hannah said she and her daughter are shocked by the news, and that Thornton seemed to be "the most mellowest, peaceful person," she said.
Hannah said her daughter called Thornton's mother, who told her she spoke with Thornton this morning.
Omar Thornton told his mother he'd shot some people, loved his mother, loved his girlfriend and said he was sorry, Hannah said.
Vera Mladen said Thornton rented a studio apartment at 270 Laurel St. in Hartford from March 2003 to May 2004, and although several years have passed, Mladen remembered him Tuesday as a "very nice guy, very hardworking," from a good family.
Mladen, the building's office manager, said there were never any complaints against Thornton and that he always paid on time. When Thornton moved in, he had listed his occupation as a truck driver for ChemStation New England in South Windsor.
Steve Hollander, a member of the family that founded and owns the company, is one of the wounded, a police source said. He was shot in the neck, the source said. He has been released from the hospital.
"Everyone is devastated by this tragic and senseless act," said Jim Battaglio, a spokesman for the Hollander family, adding that the Hollander family intends to focus its attention and efforts on the families and the victims.
Steven Hollander is fair condition, he said.
Another shooting victim was identified as Bryan Cirigliano, 51, of Newington, by a man at Hartford Hospital who said he was Cirigliano's brother. Bryan Cirigliano is the president of the Teamsters Local 1035 that represents drivers at Hartford Distributors.
Another victim was identified as Victor James, who died at Hartford Hospital, officials said.
Gloria Wilson, 86, said her son Victor would have turned 60 on Aug. 30.
James, of Windsor, had two adult daughters and four grandchildren.
Wilson said she had already heard about the shootings when her other son called with the news that Victor James was dead.
"I just got praying he wasn't one of them, and he was," she said.
"There wasn't a better family man," Wilson said.
James was planning to retire from Hartford Distributors this year after working for the company as a truck driver for 30 years. He planned to work around his home and tinker with an old car he had, Wilson said.
James grew up in Providence and Cranston, R.I. He had one brother, Robert James, Wilson said.
"He loved his children and his grandchildren," she said. "He'd take the grandchildren out for movies. He devoted his weekends to them."
Two school buses were brought in to transport employees away about 9:30 a.m. They were brought to Manchester High School, where family members gathered.
Manchester Sgt. Sandy Ficara confirmed that Omar Thornton was the shooter. Police believe his fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted, he said.
"It's one of those workplace scenes that happens all over the country," he said.
He confirmed that family members, and possibly some workers, are at Manchester High School. Relatives from out of state have been calling the police station asking about their loved ones, he said. Police have not confirmed the victims' identities yet, he said.
The American Red Cross is providing refreshments and counseling for family members, said volunteer Eric Sandberg outside the high school Tuesday afternoon.
The shooting began shortly before 7:30 a.m. in a facility of the beer and wine distribution company, one of the state's largest. At the time, there were about 35 or 40 people in the office and warehouse, said Brett Hollander, the director of marketing for the company.
"Our shifts were just changing," said Hollander, who said the shooter was an employee.
"There are definitely some people that are shot, some people that are dead," Hollander said, speaking in a tense and shaken voice about 8:30 a.m. Employees were in a warehouse across the street when police entered the building where the shooter was located.
The East Hartford police tactical response team was training at 7:33 a.m., when the department received a general call for help, said Officer Hugo Benettieri, police spokesman. As a result, the neighboring department was one of the first police agencies at the scene. The team helped with "building entry," he said.
David Billings, assistant chief of Manchester Fire-Rescue-EMS, said the department's entire shift was at the scene, about 20 people. The paid department provides paramedic service for the volunteer department that covers that part of town, Manchester Fire Department, Eighth Utilities District.
When the paramedics first got there, they could not go in the building because it was not declared safe, he said.
"In a situation like that, we really have to stand back and wait for victims to come," Billings said.
Police wearing protective gear and carrying high-powered rifles and rushed into the building, he said. They were the only ones in the building for two and a half hours, Billings said.
One injured worker was able to make it out of the building to seek treatment, but most of those who left were not wounded, a medic said.
Thornton received two speeding tickets, in February 2007 and December 2008, that led to DMV suspending his commercial driver's license for three months, according to DMV records.
Thornton filed bankruptcy in 2000 at age 24, under the name Thornton Omar Sharriff. He reported $600 in the bank and nearly $16,000 in debts, including a car loan and student loans. At the time he was a delivery driver in Middletown for Stericycle, a medical- and hazardous-waste disposal firm. A corporate official said the company would not discuss Thornton.
Hartford Hospital was treating the only three victims of the shooting that were hospitalized, officials said. One died on his way into surgery.
Shortly after the shooting, a thick column of black smoke could be seen coming from the building. It later turned to white, then stopped as firefighters were on the scene. The fire was caused by a forklift that tipped over when its operator was shot, a law enforcement source said.
A number of bomb squad vehicles were seen entering the property about 9:20 a.m. A state police dispatcher said they were there to check the suspect's car.
Hartford Distributors is at 131 Chapel Road, near the border of South Windsor and Manchester in the area Buckland Hills Mall and Interstate 291. The company is one of the state's largest beer and wine distributorships, carrying hundreds of brands. The company merged last year with Franklin Distributors, a South Windsor company. Employees are represented by the Teamsters union.
Hartford Distributors was founded by Jules Hollander, the father of the current president, Ross Hollander, and grandfather of Brett, the marketing chief, and Steve, who was reported to have been shot. The company was located on Tolland Street in East Hartford for many years before moving to Manchester about 15 years ago, said U.S. Rep. John B. Larson.
Last year, the company bought a rival, Franklin Distributors of South Windsor.
Larson, of East Hartford, who is close to the Hollanders and some of the union officials, visited the company in mid-morning after the shootings.
"The Hollander family is probably one of the most venerated families in the Hartford area in the Jewish community," Larson said. "There isn't a charity that they haven't contributed."
The family, for example, in 1994 donated a full-size bronze statue of Mark Twain to the city of Hartford. The statue had been commissioned by a Missouri riverboat company with hopes of selling it to Hartford, but the city couldn't afford it. It was in front of the library on Main Street for a few years until renovations forced it to a side street – but the Hollanders agreed to pay to move it back to its rightful spot earlier this year.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell met with state police, Manchester police and other officials at the scene of the shootings.
"Shock-stricken and grief-numbed, all the residents of Connecticut are holding the victims and the families and friends of the Hartford Distributors employees close in their hearts this evening," Rell said in a prepared statement. "For now, that is all many of us can do."
"I have offered the resources of the state to assist the victims and their families wherever possible as well as the law enforcement, fire fighters and emergency medical personnel who responded to this horrific tragedy," she said. "Our prayers continue to be with the families of those taken from us today."
1:19 PM PDT, August 3, 2010
MANCHESTER, Conn. —
Nine people are dead in a workplace shooting at a family-owned beer and wine wholesaler, police said.
Sources said Omar S. Thornton, 34, was a driver for Hartford Distributors and was described by a Teamsters Union official as a recent hire and a "disciplinary problem."
"The union was bringing him in to meet with the company to remedy the problem," said John Hollis, a Teamsters official. "He started shooting."
Thornton shot a number of people and then shot himself with a .223 caliber semiautomatic rifle as police approached and is dead, sources said. Two people were shot outside the building and five were shot inside, police sources said.
Hollis declined to describe the nature of the disciplinary problem, and he said he wasn't certain if the meeting had taken place when the shooting started. A law enforcement source said Thornton had been suspected of stealing from the business.
Joanne Hannah, who lives in the Enfield neighborhood where Thornton lived until about a month ago, said her daughter Kristi had dated Thornton for eight years. Thornton, who is black, had complained about being racially harassed at work. Thornton brought his complaints to his superiors, who did nothing about it, she said her daughter told her.
Joanne Hannah said she and her daughter are shocked by the news, and that Thornton seemed to be "the most mellowest, peaceful person," she said.
Hannah said her daughter called Thornton's mother, who told her she spoke with Thornton this morning.
Omar Thornton told his mother he'd shot some people, loved his mother, loved his girlfriend and said he was sorry, Hannah said.
Vera Mladen said Thornton rented a studio apartment at 270 Laurel St. in Hartford from March 2003 to May 2004, and although several years have passed, Mladen remembered him Tuesday as a "very nice guy, very hardworking," from a good family.
Mladen, the building's office manager, said there were never any complaints against Thornton and that he always paid on time. When Thornton moved in, he had listed his occupation as a truck driver for ChemStation New England in South Windsor.
Steve Hollander, a member of the family that founded and owns the company, is one of the wounded, a police source said. He was shot in the neck, the source said. He has been released from the hospital.
"Everyone is devastated by this tragic and senseless act," said Jim Battaglio, a spokesman for the Hollander family, adding that the Hollander family intends to focus its attention and efforts on the families and the victims.
Steven Hollander is fair condition, he said.
Another shooting victim was identified as Bryan Cirigliano, 51, of Newington, by a man at Hartford Hospital who said he was Cirigliano's brother. Bryan Cirigliano is the president of the Teamsters Local 1035 that represents drivers at Hartford Distributors.
Another victim was identified as Victor James, who died at Hartford Hospital, officials said.
Gloria Wilson, 86, said her son Victor would have turned 60 on Aug. 30.
James, of Windsor, had two adult daughters and four grandchildren.
Wilson said she had already heard about the shootings when her other son called with the news that Victor James was dead.
"I just got praying he wasn't one of them, and he was," she said.
"There wasn't a better family man," Wilson said.
James was planning to retire from Hartford Distributors this year after working for the company as a truck driver for 30 years. He planned to work around his home and tinker with an old car he had, Wilson said.
James grew up in Providence and Cranston, R.I. He had one brother, Robert James, Wilson said.
"He loved his children and his grandchildren," she said. "He'd take the grandchildren out for movies. He devoted his weekends to them."
Two school buses were brought in to transport employees away about 9:30 a.m. They were brought to Manchester High School, where family members gathered.
Manchester Sgt. Sandy Ficara confirmed that Omar Thornton was the shooter. Police believe his fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted, he said.
"It's one of those workplace scenes that happens all over the country," he said.
He confirmed that family members, and possibly some workers, are at Manchester High School. Relatives from out of state have been calling the police station asking about their loved ones, he said. Police have not confirmed the victims' identities yet, he said.
The American Red Cross is providing refreshments and counseling for family members, said volunteer Eric Sandberg outside the high school Tuesday afternoon.
The shooting began shortly before 7:30 a.m. in a facility of the beer and wine distribution company, one of the state's largest. At the time, there were about 35 or 40 people in the office and warehouse, said Brett Hollander, the director of marketing for the company.
"Our shifts were just changing," said Hollander, who said the shooter was an employee.
"There are definitely some people that are shot, some people that are dead," Hollander said, speaking in a tense and shaken voice about 8:30 a.m. Employees were in a warehouse across the street when police entered the building where the shooter was located.
The East Hartford police tactical response team was training at 7:33 a.m., when the department received a general call for help, said Officer Hugo Benettieri, police spokesman. As a result, the neighboring department was one of the first police agencies at the scene. The team helped with "building entry," he said.
David Billings, assistant chief of Manchester Fire-Rescue-EMS, said the department's entire shift was at the scene, about 20 people. The paid department provides paramedic service for the volunteer department that covers that part of town, Manchester Fire Department, Eighth Utilities District.
When the paramedics first got there, they could not go in the building because it was not declared safe, he said.
"In a situation like that, we really have to stand back and wait for victims to come," Billings said.
Police wearing protective gear and carrying high-powered rifles and rushed into the building, he said. They were the only ones in the building for two and a half hours, Billings said.
One injured worker was able to make it out of the building to seek treatment, but most of those who left were not wounded, a medic said.
Thornton received two speeding tickets, in February 2007 and December 2008, that led to DMV suspending his commercial driver's license for three months, according to DMV records.
Thornton filed bankruptcy in 2000 at age 24, under the name Thornton Omar Sharriff. He reported $600 in the bank and nearly $16,000 in debts, including a car loan and student loans. At the time he was a delivery driver in Middletown for Stericycle, a medical- and hazardous-waste disposal firm. A corporate official said the company would not discuss Thornton.
Hartford Hospital was treating the only three victims of the shooting that were hospitalized, officials said. One died on his way into surgery.
Shortly after the shooting, a thick column of black smoke could be seen coming from the building. It later turned to white, then stopped as firefighters were on the scene. The fire was caused by a forklift that tipped over when its operator was shot, a law enforcement source said.
A number of bomb squad vehicles were seen entering the property about 9:20 a.m. A state police dispatcher said they were there to check the suspect's car.
Hartford Distributors is at 131 Chapel Road, near the border of South Windsor and Manchester in the area Buckland Hills Mall and Interstate 291. The company is one of the state's largest beer and wine distributorships, carrying hundreds of brands. The company merged last year with Franklin Distributors, a South Windsor company. Employees are represented by the Teamsters union.
Hartford Distributors was founded by Jules Hollander, the father of the current president, Ross Hollander, and grandfather of Brett, the marketing chief, and Steve, who was reported to have been shot. The company was located on Tolland Street in East Hartford for many years before moving to Manchester about 15 years ago, said U.S. Rep. John B. Larson.
Last year, the company bought a rival, Franklin Distributors of South Windsor.
Larson, of East Hartford, who is close to the Hollanders and some of the union officials, visited the company in mid-morning after the shootings.
"The Hollander family is probably one of the most venerated families in the Hartford area in the Jewish community," Larson said. "There isn't a charity that they haven't contributed."
The family, for example, in 1994 donated a full-size bronze statue of Mark Twain to the city of Hartford. The statue had been commissioned by a Missouri riverboat company with hopes of selling it to Hartford, but the city couldn't afford it. It was in front of the library on Main Street for a few years until renovations forced it to a side street – but the Hollanders agreed to pay to move it back to its rightful spot earlier this year.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell met with state police, Manchester police and other officials at the scene of the shootings.
"Shock-stricken and grief-numbed, all the residents of Connecticut are holding the victims and the families and friends of the Hartford Distributors employees close in their hearts this evening," Rell said in a prepared statement. "For now, that is all many of us can do."
"I have offered the resources of the state to assist the victims and their families wherever possible as well as the law enforcement, fire fighters and emergency medical personnel who responded to this horrific tragedy," she said. "Our prayers continue to be with the families of those taken from us today."
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