Connecticut official: 9 killed in shooting at beer distributor, including gunman

Official: 9 killed in Conn. workplace shooting

MANCHESTER, Conn. — A Connecticut official says nine people have been killed after an employee who was asked to resign went on a shooting rampage at a beer distributor outside Hartford.

The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke about the Tuesday morning shootings to The Associated Press only on the condition of anonymity.

Associated Press writer Susan Haigh in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

MANCHESTER, Conn. (AP) — A warehouse driver who was asked to resign his job at a beer distributor refused, then opened fire Tuesday morning, a company executive said. Police said the gunman and several other people were killed and others were wounded, one critically.

Authorities were notifying victims’ relatives before confirming the number of deaths, state police Lt. J. Paul Vance said.

At least one person died at Hartford Hospital, spokeswoman Michaela Donnelly said. Another victim taken there was in critical condition, and one was in fair condition, she said.

About 50 to 70 people were in the warehouse because it was a shift change, said Brett Hollander, the director of marketing at Hartford Distributors. Adding to the chaos was a fire at the warehouse, about 10 miles east of Hartford, that has been put out.

“We’re now just trying to figure out who’s shot, who’s not accounted for,” Hollander said.

The driver had worked at the distributor for a couple of years and been called in for a disciplinary hearing, said John Hollis of the Connecticut Teamsters, who was with company officials at the scene of the shooting.

Hollis would not say why the driver was being disciplined.

Hollander, whose family owns the distributor, said he did not know the driver well.

Among the victims was Hollander’s cousin, a vice president at the company who was shot in the arm and the face. Hollander said he thought his cousin would be OK. It was not clear if he was among the victims taken to Hartford Hospital.

Police officers from numerous agencies and police and fire vehicles surrounded the warehouse, on a tree-lined road in an industrial park just west of a shopping mall. A SWAT team with a police dog was walking around the property a couple of hours after the 7 a.m. shooting.

In a statement, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell offered condolences to the victims’ families and co-workers.

“We are all left asking the same questions: How could someone do this? Why did they do this?” she said.

Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Conn.; John Christoffersen in New Haven, Conn.; and Michelle R. Smith in Providence, R.I., contributed to this report.