Three killed in Missouri factory shooting

AP

FACTORY SHOOTING: At least three people have died after a factory worker opened fire at his workplace.

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A disgrunted employee armed with an assault rifle and a handgun walked into a factory in the US and opened fire, killing three people and wounding five others, before apparently killing himself.

The shooting spree at ABB Group's plant sent frightened co-workers scrambling into closets and to the snow-covered roof for safety.

Fire officials identified the shooter as 51-year-old Timothy Hendron of Webster Groves. Police would not release his name but said a man believed to be the gunman was found dead inside the plant from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"We're very confident that this is the shooter," Police Chief Dan Isom said at a news conference.

The shooting occurred as a federal lawsuit Herndon and other ABB workers filed against the company in 2006 over their retirement plan was unfolding in a federal courtroom in Kansas City. Online court documents show that a bench trial began Tuesday and was expected to last at least three weeks.

The lawsuit seeks to recover financial losses by the workers' 401(K) retirement plan, claiming that ABB and its pension-review committee caused the plan to include investment options with "unreasonable and excessive" fees and expenses.

Gunfire broke out around 6.30am on Thursday (1.30am Fri NZT) during a shift change, and 40 to 50 people were likely in the plant at the time, Dotson said. As shots began to ring out, employees scurried to find safety.

"Many of them sought safety on the roof, in boilers and broom closets," Dotson said.

Names of the victims were not immediately released. Police said three of the injured were in critical condition and two were in fair condition.

Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said firefighters and paramedics were standing by in case there were additional injuries, either from the shooting itself or from seeking refuge on the roof in bitter cold. The wind chill in St Louis dipped below zero.

"It's cold, and shock sets in, hypothermia," Jenkerson said. "It doesn't sound good."

Dozens of emergency vehicles circled the sprawling plant on a day made more chaotic by several inches of snow that snarled traffic in the St. Louis region.

Thomas Schmidt, an ABB corporate spokesman in Zurich, Switzerland, said that the company had received reports of the shooting.

"This is obviously a very serious situation and we are working to gather more information as it becomes available," the statement said. "The welfare of our employees is of utmost importance to us."

Word of Hendron's alleged involvement in the shooting stunned his neighbours in Webster Groves. Many neighbours described Hendron as an amicable family man who kept a well-manicured home for his wife and small boy.

"I couldn't ask for a better neighbour. We never had any problems with him," said Glennon Meyer, a 71-year-old retiree who credits Hendron with friendly gestures ranging from raking Meyer's leaves to bringing over a chocolate cake last Christmas.

A few years ago, Meyer said, Hendron mentioned something in passing about having problems on the job. Hendron didn't elaborate.

"Gee, I've talked to Tim many times, and he never exhibited any mental aberration," Meyer said.

Ron Hawkins, who lives across the street from Hendron's split-level home, echoed that.

"He seems like a really nice guy," said Hawkins, 72. "I know nothing negative about he and the family."

- AP