Man Kills 8, Self in Connecticut Shooting Rampage

"Nine people were killed Tuesday morning when a gunman went on a shooting rampage at the beer distributorship he worked at in Manchester, Conn. The incident began when the gunman, 34-year-old Omar Thornton, was called into a meeting at Hartford Distributors and was presented with video evidence that showed that he had been stealing beer from the warehouse. Thornton was then offered the chance to quit or be fired, said Steve Hollander, the vice president of Hartford Distributors and a member of the family that owns the company. Hollander added that Thornton calmly agreed to resign, but moments later pulled out a gun and started shooting. When Thornton finished shooting, eight of his co-workers were dead. It remains unclear whether Thornton targeted specific individuals or fired randomly, as victims were found scattered all over the facility, said Manchester Police Chief Marc Montminy. After police arrived on the scene, Thornton killed himself. In addition to looking at Thornton's termination as a motive for the shooting, authorities are also investigating the shooter's claims that he was a victim of racial harassment at Hartford Distributors because he was black. However, Thornton never filed a complaint about the alleged harassment with the Teamsters union or the government. Hartford Distributors has also denied allegations of racial discrimination."

For more information, click here

Associated Press (08/04/10) Singer, Stephen