Minneapolis firm shooting

A shooting incident occurred at a firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on the afternoon of Thursday, September 27, 2012. The attack took place inside Accent Signage Systems, where a former employee walked into the firm's building and fired a Glock 19 9mm pistol. By the end of the day, five people were dead, including the gunman who committed suicide, and four others were injured, three of them critically. One of those critically injured died the following day, and another man succumbed to his wounds on October 10. It was the deadliest workplace shooting in Minnesota's history.

Minneapolis firm shooting
Location2322 Chestnut Avenue West, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
United States
Coordinates44°58′38″N 93°18′38″W
DateSeptember 27, 2012 (2012-09-27)
4:30 p.m. – c. 4:35 p.m. (ET)
TargetEmployees at the Accent Signage Systems firm's building
Attack type
Mass murder, murder-suicide, workplace shooting
WeaponsGlock 19 9mm pistol
Deaths7 (including the perpetrator)
Injured2
PerpetratorAndrew John Engeldinger[1]
MotiveEmployment termination

Details

The shooting took place at Accent Signage Systems, a sign-making business located in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis, which is bisected[2] by Interstate 394. Andrew John Engeldinger, an employee of the firm, was called over to the office of operations director John Souter. Before going to the executive offices, Engeldinger first went to his car, apparently to retrieve a Glock 19 9mm handgun. When he was informed by Souter that he was losing his job, Engeldinger responded with "Oh, really?" and took out the handgun from his holster.[3][4] A struggle over the handgun ensued between Engeldinger, Souter, and top manager Rami Cooks; gunshots severely wounded Souter and fatally wounded Cooks. Engeldinger then left Souter's office, shooting and killing company founder Reuven Rahamim, who was stepping out of his office, which was next to Souter's. He then left the executive offices and entered a sign-display area, killing Jacob Beneke, an employee from Maple Grove. Engeldinger then moved on to the loading dock area, where he shot and killed a second employee, Ronald Edberg of Brooklyn Center. He also killed Keith Basinski, a UPS driver who was on a delivery, as he was seated in his truck. Engeldinger then entered the production floor and continued firing, fatally wounding production manager Eric Rivers and grazing another employee.[4]

The first 911 phone calls made from the business were at 4:35 p.m., when someone called in saying gunshots were being fired. The first officers that arrived on scene managed to escort some people out of the building during the assault. Engeldinger killed four people at the scene. Another victim died the next day. Three others were treated at Hennepin County Medical Center, two of them for critical injuries; one of these victims died on October 10. Engeldinger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a warehouse in the workplace's basement.[1][5][6][7][8]

Victims

Six victims (not including the perpetrator) were killed in the shooting, four at the scene and the fifth dying in a hospital the following day. They are: Reuven Rahamim, 61, the founder of the company; a UPS driver who had initially been on a delivery, Keith Basinski, 50; Rami Cooks, 62, a top manager; and employees Ronald Edberg, 58, and Jacob Beneke, 34.[1][9][10][4] A sixth fatal victim, production manager Eric Rivers, 42, died on October 10, having been taken off life support when he succumbed to his wounds.[1][8][11]

Another company executive, director of operations John Souter, was in critical condition as of September 28. A person who was in stable condition after the shooting was treated at Hennepin County Medical Center for a graze wound and released on September 28; this surviving victim was identified as Battites Wesley.[1][11][4][12]

Perpetrator

Andrew John Engeldinger (c. 1976 – September 27, 2012), a 36-year-old resident of Minneapolis for twelve years, was raised in Richfield, Minnesota and graduated from the Academy of Holy Angels.[7] He was formerly employed by Accent Signage Systems, but recently fired from the business.[1][10] According to neighbors, Engeldinger was a loner who never engaged in conversation with anyone, while a former coworker described him as not eating lunch or taking breaks with other employees. Engeldinger's parents and other family stated that he had some sort of mental illness and resisted treatment, eventually becoming estranged.[7] Authorities said there were clear indications he may have targeted certain people. A search of his home uncovered packaging for 10,000 rounds, indicating that he was heavily armed and had practiced shooting quite a bit.

Response

Governor Mark Dayton described the shooting as "senseless," and said that "there is no place for it anywhere in Minnesota."[6] Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak visited Accent Signage along with U.S. Representative Keith Ellison not long before the shooting. Rybak stated that, "we are deeply sorry about what has happened here," and adding that it was "a horrible tragedy."[1]

References
  1. Smith, Mary Lynn; Simons, Abby (September 28, 2012). "Gunman, firm's founder among 5 dead in shooting". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  2. "Our Neighborhood".
  3. "Gunman at Minneapolis sign company said 'oh really,' then started shooting". Fox News. October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  4. Press, Joseph Lindberg | Pioneer (September 30, 2012). "Minneapolis workplace shooting: Gunman was fired, then the rampage began".
  5. "Gunman kills 4, then himself at Minneapolis business". Los Angeles Times. September 27, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  6. Fricke, John (September 27, 2012). "At least 2 dead in shooting at Minneapolis business". CNN. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  7. "A Portrait Of The Mpls. Office Gunman". September 28, 2012.
  8. Mador, Jessica. "Sixth victim in shooting rampage dies". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  9. News, U. S. "Minneapolis shooting spree claims fifth victim; suspect ID'd as fired employee". U.S. News.
  10. Vezner, Tad; Gottfried, H. Mara; Lindberg, Joseph (September 27, 2012). "Minneapolis shooting: Gunman kills 4 at office, then kills himself". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  11. "7th man dies after Minn. company shooting in Sept". Huffington Post. October 11, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  12. "Sixth victim dead in Minneapolis sign-company shooting spree". nydailynews.com.
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