Shooting at work today...

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RKirby

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Mods...if this post does not belong in this forum, please do with as you see fit.

Even though I don’t post that often, I have been a THR member and avid reader for quite some time now.

I can’t say how many threads I have read relating to workplace shootings, home invasions, robberies, etc, etc, etc…but it has been a bunch. I’ve learned from the members of this forum what one should and should not do in these situations, but I never thought they would have any relevance to me.

Until today.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/14931163.htm

I am a supervisor for a transportation company and contend with a very stressfully environment at times. When lunch time comes around, I look forward to the relative peace and quiet for a short period to help make it through the rest of the day.

So there I was quietly eating my lunch and reading the newspaper , trying to not pay attention to the noisy two way radio on my belt and the general ruckus in the truck shop on the other side of the wall from the break room.

Then I heard a muffled “pop”. Didn’t think much of it, probably something in the shop.
Next thing I know, one of our drivers burst into the break room in an agitated state and said “***** just shot ***!”

My first thought was to say to myself …go away, I’ll deal with it after lunch…then it hit me what he just said!

WHAT DID YOU SAY??

“***** just shot *** and he’s coming this way! You don’t want to be sitting here if he comes around the corner.” Let’s go,… now!

I didn’t need to be told twice.

I dropped my Pepsi (literally) and ran out of the break room into the shop when the door between the break room and office hallway started to open. I told all of the shop people to get out now, there had just been a shooting in the office.

As we were going out the back door to the shop I noticed the shooter, *****, drive by the front of the shop in his truck. I couldn’t see where he went after that.

Since the immediate danger appeared to be over, I ran back towards the office where the shooting had taken place. My heart was beating like a trip hammer…I’m too old and out of shape to be running. As I made my way down the hallway to the office door I took a deep breath and tried to calm down before I opened that door. I wasn’t sure what I would see inside.

To be continued.......

*edited to correct spelling*
 
Last edited:
continued..

When I went into the office I saw *** sitting in his chair with his arms clenched tightly across his chest. His face was as white as I’ve ever seen and there was blood….lot’s of blood… on the floor and dripping off the arm of his chair. He was still awake and alert, though obviously going into shock. Two other people were trying to calm him down and help as much as they could. I asked someone to close and lock both office doors in case the shooter came back.

All I could think of was to try to stop the bleeding until the EMT’s got there. I was able to get *** to move his arms so I could open his shirt to find the source of the bleeding. When we got the shirt open the wound was obvious…blood was pumping out like a water fountain from a small hole just above his right armpit. The bullet had hit an artery. I placed a wad of paper towels that someone handed me and kept pressure on the wound to try to slow down the bleeding while trying to reassure *** that it didn’t look serious.

It was serious… he was losing a lot of blood and all I could do was hope he didn’t go into shock or cardiac arrest before the EMT’s got there.

I don’t know how long it took for the fire department and ambulances to arrive, probably no more than five minutes, but it seemed like forever.

I told the first fireman through the door that the shooter may still be on the property and he asked his dispatcher to step up the PD’s response to a code three. One of the other EMT’s took over trying to slow the blood loss an I backed out of the way.

After another short period that probably was nowhere near as long as it seemed, the police dept showed up in force…I counted at least six cars and officers. About that time one of the mechanics said that they had seen the shooter leave the property.

The danger was over, finally.

The shooting victim is now in the hospital and we believe he will be ok…lost a lot of blood, possible broken ribs and a bruised lung or so we are told.

Could have been a whole lot worse.
 
more...

Turns out the handgun used was a .25 auto. One spent casing was found on the office floor.

Hard to believe that a mouse gun could do that much damage. Even at near point blank range.

It's also hard to believe how much a shooting like this affects everyone involved..not just the shooter and victim. I still have not stopped shaking. At one point I felt like I was going to vomit after everything began to settle down.

Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of death and injuries in my time. These kind of incidents didn't used to bother me. They do now.

This one was too close to home.
........................................................................................................

Sorry this turned out to be so long winded. I just had to get this out of my head and this seemed the best way for me to do it.

I am totally exhausted. This has been the longest day of my life.


Gotta take a break for now.
 
Anyone who works in transportation and expects to encounter terminated drivers should pack. I do. We just fired a complete nutcase driver and this is exactly what I am afraid of.

Hope the victim pulls through.
 
Here in Phoenix, the FD wouldn't even enter the building until the PD had cleared them to go in.

I'm glad that the victim is alright.
 
Have you taken this opportunity to DEMAND concealed carry at work? It certainly demonstrates the idiocy of "no weapons" policies.
 
WOW

Let's hear it for .25! I guess if there's any good to be found, it's good it wasn't a bigger caliber. The brachial artery in the armpit is one of the worst places to be shot--can't put a tourniquet on it. Sure hope he pulls through. How scary!
 
I hope I don't seem intrusive by asking this, but just out of curiosity... do you carry?
Click to expand...

The company that we contract to forbids firearms on company property. Our company prohibits drivers from carrying firearms in company vehicles.

Some obey, some obviously do not. That's about all I can say on that subject in a public forum.

Scary stuff. I hope your employee is ok. Any idea why this happened?
Click to expand...

Who knows. Personal problems maybe. I just don't know. He's been with the company longer than I have and I've been there a long time. No one expected this from him, just "not the type" to cause trouble.

Have you taken this opportunity to DEMAND concealed carry at work? It certainly demonstrates the idiocy of "no weapons" policies.
Click to expand...

See my first answer in this post. Can't go there for obvious reasons.

I would agree however with the idiocy of "no weapons" policies. They didn't accomplish their intended purpose today, did they?

As I said...some obey, some don't.
 
additional thoughts.....

As I said earlier, death and injuries,violence and mayhem are no stranger to me. I've had a very interesting life. I've seen things that will turn most peoples stomachs.

But...

Today I looked into a man's eyes that thought he was dying. I saw a fear that I have never seen before. I will never be able to forget it.

This man is a co-worker, my boss, and also most importantly, a friend.

His blood was all over my hands. I never noticed the blood on my clothes until I got home today. The blood washed off.

I can't wash away the image in my brain of the fear I saw in his eyes.

It just won't go away.

..........................................................................................................

BTW,latest is that he's in critical .. but stable condition. The bullet lodged near his heart.
The shooter is still not in custody AFAIK.
 
RKirby, thank you for telling us about what happened and what it was like for you. It sounds like you handled it as well as anyone could, and maybe saved the life of your friend. Maybe it will be a little while before anything feels normal again, but at least you are among friends here. Don't forget to take some time for yourself. Best wishes,

John
 
Forgive me for my ignorance, but are you saying the article hit close to home with what you typed out, or what you typed out was the ordeal in the article?
 
Hey, RKirby,
Glad everybody(except poor Sam) escaped unharmed. This might be a good time to get management to hire a counsellor. Both for the post-trauma effects, and with an eye toward calming folks down, or at least teaching them how to care for each other's feelings and taming the environment a bit. Take care.

TC
 
The company that we contract to forbids firearms on company property. Our company prohibits drivers from carrying firearms in company vehicles.

Some obey, some obviously do not. That's about all I can say on that subject in a public forum.
Click to expand...

I fully understand. Glad that you're okay, wish you sucesses in dealing with this trauma, and hope that your co-worker pulls through.
 
The company that we contract to forbids firearms on company property. Our company prohibits drivers from carrying firearms in company vehicles.
Click to expand...
Clearly a policy that works wonderfully :rolleyes:
 
RKirby - I hope you are doing well. Good job on your fist aid skills. It sounds like your friend will pull through. It's a good idea to discuss this incident with others, and not just the people involved. I would suggest counseling. Formal or informal. You may be feeling like you should not talk about it, for what ever reason.You don't need to feel that way. Traumatic stress can build up if you don't discuss your feelings openly. Although this forum might not be the best place for that. It is important that you express your feelings about what happened. That is very natural and something you will need to do to work though what happened. Details of the incident are important to discuss, but also remember that your feelings need to be brought out and dealt with. What ever they may be.

The images in your head are completely natural and will fade over time with open discussion. It sounds like you are a stable person and should deal with this just fine.

Again, major props on your life saving actions!
 
RKirby:
I'm sorry for your experience. It certainly makes a difference when it happens in your vicinity as opposed to an abstract idea you read about in the news. One thing: take the advice of those that suggest counselling. Do not try to be a hero and "man up" and deal with it. Seeing death up close and personal is a far cry from having to deal with the usual work stress. Get the help you think you need, talk it out with someone who has been there, it will help the experience pass much faster.
 
Thank you so much for sharing that harrowing tale. It sounds like you acted admirably under extreme stress. I hope I would do as well under the circumstances but also hope I never find out.

Good luck to all of you in the coming weeks. Glad the victim survived.

AVESGUY
 
If you are the same type of guy I am, this is gonna tick you off. Don't be as ignorant as me. You experienced something that is horrible. Do you and your family a favor and talk to a professional. I hate docs and shrinks, so I do not ask this of you lightly. You did a good job for the victim and all your employees...now you need to take care of Rkirby. I will pray for all involved. There is more than one victim in this instance.
 
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