Worker who shot co-workers had been fired for refusing to wear PPE

Being fired for refusing to safety glasses was apparently what set in motion a deadly rampage at a suburban Chicago manufacturing facility in February. Before it was over, the company’s human resources manager who’d done the firing was dead, along with four other employees and the gunman. Six police offers were injured in the incident.

A report that was released today revealed disturbing details about Gary Martin’s on-the-job behavior while he was employed at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, Illinois. A co-worker said Martin – who was known to own a gun – threatened on the day of the shooting to kill the company’s employees if he was fired. The co-worker did not report the comment to management due to Martin’s history of making “off the wall” statements.

The report revealed details of Martin’s termination: that it came during a Feb. 15 disciplinary meeting that was called because of his refusal to wear safety glasses. Martin, who’d worked for the company for 15 years, shouted profanities and began firing after being terminated. Among his targets: Pratt Human Resource Manager Clayton Parks, who’d told Martin that his employment with the company had ended.

Police responded to 911 calls within minutes and were fired upon when they arrived at the facility, resulting in injuries to six of them. After searching the 29,000 square-foot plant, they located Martin and exchanged gunfire with him. He was killed during the exchange. The report includes an autopsy that shows Martin was shot six times, including once in the middle of his forehead.