by Shelly Barclay

Created on: August 04, 2010

Today, August 3, 2010, a disgruntled employee of the Manchester, CT warehouse of Hartford Distributors has gone on a shooting rampage. The incident occurred between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. this morning. Eleven people were shot, nine of whom are dead.

The alleged shooter is 34-year-old Omar S. Thornton. He is among the nine dead today. He apparently decided to commit suicide after shooting ten of his co-workers.  Omar was a relatively new driver for Hartford Distributors, which distributes beer and wine. He recently had been caught stealing beer from his employers, who claim he was due in a meeting at the time the shooting occurred.

Omar S. Thornton's girlfriend claims that Omar was complaining of being the recipient of racial harassment at Hartford Distributors in the days leading up to the shooting. He allegedly said that he complained about it to his superiors but nothing was done about it. She also claims that there was no indication he was planning to go on a shooting spree.

Officials at Hartford Distributors deny that Omar ever reported harassment to them. This may just be a case of a man who did not like that he was caught stealing and being disciplined for it. Rather than going to face the music, he walked into the warehouse where there were dozens of people working and just started shooting. What kind of gun he used and whether he engaged in a shootout with the police is unknown at this time.

Sadly, the people of Connecticut have dealt with a similar situation before. Twelve years ago, 35-year-old Matthew Beck walked into the Lottery Headquarters in Connecticut with a 9-mm. Glock. He shot and killed five people that day, including himself. Beck was a disgruntled employee, as Omar S. Thornton is alleged to have been. What drives men to such extremes in anybody's guess. We know that it is not easy to find a job sometimes, but most of us would still quit a job rather than go on a killing spree.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell who is disgruntled like everyone else and who is 'kill people' disgruntled in these situations. Employees go into work thinking they are safe and they will be home with their families that evening. Little do they know a lunatic is among them. It is very sad, especially for the nine families who lost loved ones today.

Sources

9 Dead in Shooting at Conn. Beer Distributor, retrieved 8/3/10, msnbc.msn.com/id/38535909/ns/us_news-crime_and_court s/

9 Killed, 2 Wounded in Shooting at Beer Distributor, retrieved 8/3/10, foxnews.com/us/2010/08/03/dead-wounded-conn-workplac e-shooting/

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