Gunman Kills 8 People In Connecticut Office Shooting

VIA NYTIMES

Nine people are dead after an employee summoned for a disciplinary hearing opened fire at a beer distributor in Manchester, Conn., on Tuesday morning, the police said. One of the dead was the suspected gunman.

The company, Hartford Distributors, is among the largest in the state and was at its busiest at 7:30 a.m., with about 100 drivers, sales people and executives in the building during a shift change, when the gunman — identified as Omar Thornton, 34, a truck driver — started shooting.

“He came in to meet with the company and after that, all hell broke loose,” the union representative, John Hollis, said of Mr. Thornton, 34. “He pulled the gun and ran through the warehouse.”

The shots hit drivers, union representatives and company executives, according to relatives and friends of the victims.

“There are eight deceased and the suspect as well,” said Sgt. Sandy Ficara of the Manchester Police Department . “That is the final count.”