Illinois man being fired from job fatally shoots 5 workers on WTOP| AURORA, Ill. (AP) — A man being fired from his job started shooting at a suburban Chicago manufacturing warehouse, killing five co-workers and wounding five police officers before he was killed by police. Police say 45-year-old Gary…
AURORA, Ill. (AP) — The frantic calls started pouring in at 1:24 p.m. A gunman was shooting people inside a sprawling manufacturing warehouse in Aurora, Illinois.
Within four minutes, the first police officers rushed to the 29,000-square-foot building and were fired on immediately; one was struck outside and four others shot inside.
By the time the chaos ended Friday afternoon, five male employees of Henry Pratt Co were found dead and the gunman was killed in a shootout with police after a 90-minute search of the sprawling warehouse. Five male police officers were hospitalized with injuries that were not life threatening.
And the suburban Chicago city was left asking, “Why?”
“For so many years, we have seen similar situations throughout our nation and the horrible feeling that we get when we see it on the news. To experience it first-hand, is even more painful,” said Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin.
Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said the gunman, 45-year-old Gary Martin, was being fired from his job Friday after 15-years with the company.
