An employee at a Fresno, Calif., chicken processing center opened fire inside the facility Tuesday morning, killing one co-worker and injuring four others including himself in what appeared to be a failed suicide attempt, police said.
Lawrence Jones, 42, the suspected gunman, arrived at the plant just before 5 a.m. About three hours into his shift, while he was working near the cold storage part of the facility, he pulled out a handgun and opened fire, Jerry Dyer, the Fresno police chief said at a morning news conference.
The wounded victims included a 34-year-old male who was shot in the head who is in critical condition; a 28-year-old male shot in the neck who is also in critical condition; and a 34-year-old woman outside the facility who was shot in the lower back who appeared to be in good condition at the time, Dyer said. They were all transported to a nearby trauma center.
A 32-year-old male was fatally shot in the head inside the facility. The victims’ identities were not immediately released, pending family notification.
Police received the emergency call at around 8:30 a.m. and responded to the scene. Upon their arrival, they located Jones lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the head and a handgun lying next to him. He was rushed to the hospital where he is in critical condition.
Dyer said an employee told police Jones did not appear to be himself earlier in the day. It is unclear what may have provoked the shooting. Jones had been employed by the business for 14 months, police said.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us in the investigation," Dyer said.
Workers in the area told KMPH.com that they heard a series of gunshots. He left the facility, which holds about 60 employees, and fatally shot himself, the report said.
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Lawrence Jones, 42, the suspected gunman, arrived at the plant just before 5 a.m. About three hours into his shift, while he was working near the cold storage part of the facility, he pulled out a handgun and opened fire, Jerry Dyer, the Fresno police chief said at a morning news conference.
The wounded victims included a 34-year-old male who was shot in the head who is in critical condition; a 28-year-old male shot in the neck who is also in critical condition; and a 34-year-old woman outside the facility who was shot in the lower back who appeared to be in good condition at the time, Dyer said. They were all transported to a nearby trauma center.
A 32-year-old male was fatally shot in the head inside the facility. The victims’ identities were not immediately released, pending family notification.
Police received the emergency call at around 8:30 a.m. and responded to the scene. Upon their arrival, they located Jones lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the head and a handgun lying next to him. He was rushed to the hospital where he is in critical condition.
Dyer said an employee told police Jones did not appear to be himself earlier in the day. It is unclear what may have provoked the shooting. Jones had been employed by the business for 14 months, police said.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us in the investigation," Dyer said.
Workers in the area told KMPH.com that they heard a series of gunshots. He left the facility, which holds about 60 employees, and fatally shot himself, the report said.
Click for more from KMPH.com