Police say the suspect in a shooting at a FedEx facility near Atlanta has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Witnesses said he worked as a baggage handler for the company.
A FedEx employee and a family member embrace following a shooting at a FedEx facility in Kennesaw, Ga., on April 29.(Photo: Brant Sanderlin, AP)
KENNESAW, Ga. -- A package handler decked out "Rambo-style," with an assault rifle and bullets strapped to his chest, opened fire on fellow employees at a FedEx facility in suburban Atlanta early Tuesday, wounding six people -- three critically -- before killing himself.
The man, dressed all in black, entered the 500,000-square-foot warehouse and began shooting at 5:54 a.m., said Sgt. Dana Pierce of the Cobb County Police Department. Police declined to name the shooter.
Police found the suspect dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot in the loading dock area, the spokesperson said.
Liza Aiken, a fellow employee, identified the gunman as a 19-year-old a loader or package handler. She told reporters that she was working nearby early Tuesday when she heard the "clink" sound of a knife hitting the floor, and looked up to see the suspect.
"He had an assault rifle. He had bullets strapped to his chest like Rambo," Aiken said. "I mean he looked like he was heading into war. As soon as I saw him, I ran the other way. I ran and made sure that people upstairs were gone. He was in all black. I think he had a camo vest."
She described him as a "good worker" but added that he "seemed just like an immature boy."
Aiken said she had a disagreement with the suspect last week when he kept shining a laser scanner in her eyes. She said reported him to a supervisor when he refused to stop.
Aiken said she doesn't know if the altercation was a factor in the shooting or whether he was targeting her.
"He was quiet, friendly, we would joke around sometimes," she said. "I never thought he would do something like this.
More than 100 officers from Cobb County, the Atlanta Police Department, the GBI, the ATF and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security searched the facility looking for any "secondary devices that the shooter may have planted or was a part of," Pierce said.
FedEx employees arriving for the early morning shift were turned away, WXIA-TV reports. Those already at the facility were held in a warehouse on the property while the facility was placed on lockdown. The facility is located at Cobb County Airport-McCollum field.
FedEx spokesperson Scott Fielder issued a statement from the company saying:"Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected, and with their families and friends. We are grateful for the assistance of law enforcement. The situation is now stabilized and we are focused on the needs of our team members and cooperating with the law enforcement investigation of this tragedy."
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