Omar S. Thornton, a driver for Hartford Distributors, was leaving a disciplinary hearing when he pulled out a handgun and began firing. A union official says he was 'disgruntled.'

A truck driver accused of stealing beer from his employer emerged from a disciplinary hearing Tuesday morning and began shooting, killing eight people at the family-owned distributorship, then himself, officials said.

The gunman was identified as Omar S. Thornton, 34, a driver for Hartford Distributors, who was described by a Teamsters union official as a recent hire and a "disciplinary problem."

"The union was bringing him in to meet with the company to remedy the problem," said Teamsters official John Hollis. "He started shooting."

Manchester Police Chief Marc Montminy said Thornton had been offered the chance to quit or be fired. Montminy said Thornton was being led away from the meeting when he pulled out a handgun and started shooting.

Thornton, an African American, had complained of racial harassment and said he had found a picture of a noose and a racial epithet written on a bathroom wall, said Joanne Hannah, the mother of Thornton's girlfriend. A union official said Thornton had not filed a complaint of racism to the union or any government agency.

"It's got nothing to do with race," Teamsters official Christopher Roos said. "This is a disgruntled employee who shot a bunch of people."

Among the dead was Bryan Cirigliano, 51, of Newington, president of Teamsters 1035, Roos said. Steve Hollander, a member of the family that founded and owns the company, was one of two people who were wounded but survived, police said.

"Everyone is devastated by this tragic and senseless act," said Jim Battaglio, a spokesman for the Hollander family.

Thornton's girlfriend, Kristi Hannah, had been with him the night before the rampage and had no indication he was planning it, her mother said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/...9522.story

How very sad, yet I doubt the question of how this maniac got hold of a gun will even be thought about.

http://www.dailytalkforum.com/thread-wee...0-gun-laws