MANCHESTER, Conn. — The warehouse driver who fatally shot eight co-workers and himself at a beer distributorship apparently targeted managers who had hired a private detective to tail him and forced him to resign because he stole beer from work, police said Wednesday.
Omar Thorn ton’s girlfriend told The Associated Press he had complained of racial harassment and had shared evidence of it with her: photos of racist bathroom graffiti and a surreptitiously monitored conversation allegedly involving company managers.
Thornton carried two 9mm handguns to Hartford Distributors inside his lunchbox Tuesday and left a shotgun in his car, police said.
At a disciplinary hearing that day, he watched video that showed him stealing beer. He then resigned, after being asked whether he wanted to quit or be fired.
He asked for a drink of water and went to a kitchenette where his lunchbox was, Manchester police Lt. Christopher Davis said Wednesday. He took out his guns, walked into the hall and began shooting, Davis said. All the weapons were registered, he said.
The first people shot were managers or executives involved in Thornton’s firing, Davis said. It’s not clear whether every victim was targeted.
Thornton left the office area and went into a large section of the warehouse, where more victims were found, Davis said. Thornton chased one or more outside into a parking lot, shot a locked glass door to get back into the building and continued shooting.
One man who was fatally shot tried to evade Thornton on a forklift, which crashed into an electrical conduit and started a small fire, Davis said.
Thornton also passed at least two people and did not shoot them, , including a woman in a wheelchair. In all, Thornton killed eight people and wounded two others.
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 and indicated he did target people because they had harassed him.
Police found Thornton dead in an office.
Holliday said his nephew told his family that he was the only black employee at the company. None of the victims was black, Davis said.
The company and the union there said Thornton never reported any harassment.
