New details in Manchester shooting

Manchester, Conn. (WTNH) - We're learning more about the gunman who killed 8 people at a beer distributor in Manchester and what happened during the shooting rampage.

Police say Omar Thornton, 34, killed 8 people and injured two others before turning the gun on himself Tuesday morning. The area around Hartford Distributors remains an active crime scene and police expect to be there until at least midnight.

Steve Hollander, whose family owns the Manchester business, one of the largest beer distributors in the state, said Thornton was called in for a disciplinary hearing at 7am. He chose to resign after seeing surveillance video of himself stealing beer. It was after that meeting, around 7:25am, that the shootings began.

• Listen to Hollander's 911 call

Police say Thornton had two 9mm guns in his lunchbox, as well as a rifle in his vehicle. He brought the lunchbox into a kitchen area before the meeting, but once the meeting was over, he asked to get a drink of water, went to the kitchen, pulled out the guns and started firing.

The first two victims were found in the hallway outside of the kitchen. Hollander, who was shot twice, said Thornton was cold as ice as he began to fire his gun. Hollander says he survived by the grace of God.

Thornton then proceeded through the office area, firing at some, letting others live. He reportedly did not kill a handicapped woman who was sitting at her desk unable to get away. She reportedly plead for her life and was not shot.

Thornton made his way to the warehouse where he chased one or more victims out of the building. The driver of a forklift was also killed. The forklift tipped over and hit a propane tank, which started a small fire.

"It couldn't have happened at a worse time of day," Teamsters union official John Hollis said. "They have third shift going on, the first shift coming on, the office staff there, the sales staff there. It couldn't have happened at a worse time. All the drivers are picking their loads."

Thornton re-entered the locked building by shooting through the glass to open the door.

"He was alive when police responded, police units started to clear the building, evacuate the victims," Chief Marc Montminy, Manchester Police Department, said. "He was funneled in an area of the building, an office area and took his own life."

Thornton was found dead by an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at 8:15am in an office in the southwest corner of the building. One of the handguns was on his person, the other handgun was a short distance away from his body. The guns were legally registered.

"He went through the whole building though in a fairly short amount of time," said Lt. Chris Davis, Manchester Police Department. 

After the shootings, employees were bused to Manchester High School. They were offered counseling from the Red Cross and members of the clergy. Their families were told to meet them there.

In the hours just after it happened most people were still in a state of shock over losing friends and colleagues.

"I don't even know what to say. I'm at a loss for words," Dean Bradley of East Hartford told News 8. "They were really great guys."

The names of those killed and injured was released by police Wednesday morning.

People who knew Thornton said he called his mom in the midst of the chaos.

He "said that he had shot five people, and was saying goodbye," said Joanne Hannah, whose daughter had been dating her daughter for eight years. "He loved his mom. He loved his brother. He loved his daughter and that was about it."

Until recently Thornton lived in a house on Lafayette Street in Enfield, but police say he lived a nomadic life. Police have searched all of his known previous addresses, but no significant evidence related to the shooting was recovered. Police also say he has no criminal history and no previous disciplinary issues.

Hannah said Thornton had been the victim of racial harassment. "He complained he was having racial remarks put on him. On the bathroom walls they would be the N word and a hangman's noose, and he supposedly took it to his supervisor and nobody did anything about it."

The Teamsters union says they were not aware of any such incidents, and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities says no complaints have been filed against Hartford Distributors.

Tuesday's shooting is now the worst case of deadly workplace violence in Connecticut history, superseding the March 1998 murders at Connecticut lottery headquarters in Newington. That incident lead to tougher workplace violence laws and a manual designed to identify potential problems and prevent violence.

Tonight there will be a special church service for victims' families and co-workers at St. Margaret Mary Church on Hayes Road in South Windsor at 7:00 p.m.

A hotline has been set up for family, friends and others who've been impacted by the Manchester massacre. Anyone looking for information can call 860-645-5521.