News Stories related to Workplace Shootings

April 18, 2006 - Man On Shooting Spree Kills 3, Self - Shoots Ex-Girlfriend, Boss, Co-Worker In St. Louis

(CBS/AP) A man killed his former girlfriend Tuesday, then went to the catering company where he once worked and fatally shot two women and himself, police said.

Police say the gunman is believed to have shot and killed the former girlfriend at the Vaughn Tower Apartments on O’Fallon Street in North St. Louis, reports CBS affiliate KMOV-TV in St. Louis. Police say the body of Sylvia Haynes, 53, was found in her fourth floor apartment just after 10 a.m.

Two other women were also shot at Finninger's Catering Service and were taken to a hospital, police said. One was killed, the other’s condition is unknown.

Details on the shooting of the gunman's ex-girlfriend were not immediately released, nor was the name of the gunman. Haynes and ex-boyfriend had four children together, KMOV-TV reports. Neighbors described Haynes as a nice, quiet, and friendly person who lived with her grandchildren.

“All she did is care for her grandkids and stay to herself. It just ain’t making sense. It’s just unbelievable,” one of Haynes’ nieces told KMOV-TV.

The shooting at Finniger’s happened at about 2 p.m., just as the day was winding down, WKMOV-TV reports. An employee said the gunman entered through the back door with a coat draped over his arm, apparently to hide the semiautomatic handgun. One of the women killed was an owner of the business, Cleo Finninger, said Susan Akscin, the woman's niece. The other was the victim's adult daughter, said police Col. Maurice Brown. The company is on the northwest edge of St. Louis.

Both women were shot in a garage area, police said. The shooter killed himself in the parking lot. Co-workers told KMOV-TV that the man always seemed a bit weird and was disgruntled because his wages were being garnished. The catering company makes about 60,000 meals a week for Meals on Wheels, Catholic Charities and similar groups, KMOV-TV reports.

The suspect was overheard earlier Tuesday inside a Wal-Mart store bragging that he planned to shoot his boss, Brown said. Wal-Mart employees told police. When the man showed up, there were about 50 workers inside, WKMOV-TV reports. The man shot, stopping to reload several times as workers fled out to the parking lot or into walk-in freezers.

“I was hid; I was in the back cooking,” said employee Dawn Flowers. “He came through the back door just past me.”

“It was a horrendous experience, Finninger's employee Fredrick Kates told KMOV-TV. “I mean everybody running everywhere this guy comes in shooting all over the place, it was unbelievable.”

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