Active Shooter/Work Place Violence Reviews

On Thursday, November 14, 2019, Nathaniel Tennosuke Berhow, age 16 shot 5 students (killing 2 and wounding 3) at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California. Berhow died the following day of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On Sunday, July 28, 2019, Santino William Legan, age 19, shot and killed 3 people and injured another 12 at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Legan is reported to have cut through a perimeter fence and then engaged multiple persons with an SKS assault rifle before being engaged by police officers present on the grounds. Initially, it was reported that he was killed by the officers. However, an autopsy revealed the fatal wound was self-inflicted.

On Friday, April 27, 2019, at approximately 11:20 am, a shooting occurred at the Congregation Chabad Synagogue in Poway, California. Its members were celebrating the Sabbath and end of the Passover holiday. John Earnest, age 19, armed with an AR-15 type assault rifle killed 1 person and wounded 3 others. It has been reported that Earnest’s weapon “jammed.” His inability to continue shooting and engaging victims likely caused him to abandon his plan and flee.

On Tuesday 01/08/2019, Jia, a 49-year-old man, attacked and injured 20 children with a hammer inside a Beijing primary school. He was apprehended at the scene. Jia was employed through a labor service company to perform daily maintenance work at the school. His contract was set to expire this month and had not been renewed. It is believed the attack was motivated by anger at having his employment terminated.

On Friday, February 15, 2019, Gary Martin, age 45, armed with a handgun, killed 5 employees and wounded 5 police officers at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, Illinois, a subsidiary of Mueller Water Products. The Atlanta-based company manufactures water measurement products. Martin was in the process of being terminated when he shot the 3 employees who were at the meeting and 2 others who were nearby. It is believed Martin knew he was going to be terminated and brought the gun to the meeting. Martin was killed after police found him attempting to hide and he fired on officers. Martin had worked there for 15 years.  

On December 28, 2018, the Sun Sentinel published an article entitled, “UNPREPARED AND OVERWHELMED.” It pointed out deficiencies in the law enforcement response, preparedness of the school district and other flaws that contributed to the carnage at the hands of Nikolas Cruz. A link to the full article appears below. Our summary focuses on some of the measures and concerns which we have written about in the past, which should be considered as institutions consider their response to the “active shooter” threat.

It’s not enough to provide individuals with the tools to do their jobs. They need to be trained on their proper use and in the case of emergency equipment, they need to know where it is and ensure it’s properly maintained. Essentially, tools without training become nothing more than added liabilities. It’s why law enforcement officers continue to qualify with their firearms and maintain a level of proficiency, why health care providers take continuing education courses and why anyone who has emergency equipment on hand to save a life must know where it is, and how to use it.

On Friday, November 2, 2018, at approximately 5:30 pm, Scott Paul Beierle, age 40, opened fire inside a yoga studio (Hot Yoga Tallahassee) in Tallahassee, Florida. Beierle, who was carrying a black bag, first posed as a customer. Then, without warning, he pulled out a handgun and began firing on the people inside the studio. Beierle shot six women, killing two, and pistol-whipped a male yoga student (Joshua Quick) who attempted to fight him off after his weapon malfunctioned. Beierle then took his own life. Police arrived about three minutes after the first reported gunshots.

On Saturday, October 27, 2018 at approximately 9:55 am, a mass shooting occurred at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Robert Bowers, age 46, killed 11 people and wounded 6 others, including 4 law enforcement officers who intervened. Bowers was also wounded and was subsequently taken into custody and hospitalized for his injuries. He had an assault rifle and 3 handguns. He had no known criminal record. Bowers was charged with 29 counts of crimes of violence and firearms offenses after authorities stated he carried out an anti-Semitic attack on Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. 

When we think of blast injuries we normally associate them with military operations and service personnel becoming victims of land mines, grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). However, most recently we have been reminded that explosive devices have targeted individual citizens within the United States, most often transported to their intended victim through the U.S. mail or other commercial carrier. This past week we have watched intently as law enforcement has sought the individual(s) responsible for mailing explosive devices to several political figures and private citizens. Cesar Sayoc, 56, from Aventura, Florida was arrested on October 26, 2018. 

On Thursday, September 20, 2018, 3 people were killed and 3 others injured when Snochia Moseley, age 26, fired a handgun seemingly randomly before turning the gun on herself taking her own life. She has been described as a disgruntled employee who had been working at Rite Aid for less than two weeks. It appears that a disagreement with a co-worker may have been the catalyst to set her off, with mental illness being an underlying cause. In spite of her mental illness, she legally possessed a handgun. The Rite Aid facility employs 1,000 workers and manufactures and processes items for delivery to individual stores. About 65 workers were in the warehouse at the time of the shooting. Rite Aid has unarmed security guards on its property, but none were in the building where the shooting occurred. 

Aside from active shooter intervention, among the most dangerous situations any officer can encounter are traffic stops and domestic disturbances. Often times the officer is alone and generally always on the defensive.  Should he find him or herself in a violent confrontation, they are on their own to defend themselves and provide self-aid should they become injured until more help arrives.

On Wednesday, February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Nikolas Jacob Cruz, age 19, killed 17 people and wounded 14 more. There has been considerable review of this incident with the latest reporting that Cruz reloaded his AR-15 rifle several times.

On Sunday, July 22, 2018, 2 people were killed and 13 others injured when a man fired a handgun into restaurants and cafes before being killed after an exchange of gunfire with police. A video from one witness shows a man dressed in black clothes and a black hat walking quickly and firing 3 shots from the sidewalk into at least one shop or restaurant in Toronto's Greektown, a lively residential 

area with crowded Greek restaurants and cafes

On Thursday, June 29, 2018, Jarrod W. Ramos, age 38, entered the Capital Gazette office in Annapolis, Maryland, shot and killed 5 staff members and wounded 2 others. He used a pump action shotgun to breach the front glass door and engage his victims. It was reported that Ramos barricaded the rear door(s) of the building in an apparent attempt either to keep victims from fleeing or to keep police out.  He was subsequently apprehended by law enforcement authorities. In 2012, Ramos sued the newsgroup for defamation, based on their coverage of a criminal harassment case against him.

On Thursday, June 29, 2018, Jarrod W. Ramos, age 38, entered the Capital Gazette office in Annapolis, Maryland, shot and killed 5 staff members and wounded 2 others. He used a pump-action shotgun.  It was reported that Ramos barricaded the rear door(s) of the building in an apparent attempt either to keep victims from fleeing or to keep police out. He was subsequently apprehended by law enforcement authorities. In 2012, Ramos sued the newsgroup for defamation, based on their coverage of a criminal harassment case against him.

On Tuesday, April 3, 2018, Nasim Najafi Aghdam, 39, of San Diego, opened fire on the YouTube campus in San Bruno, California with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.  She wounded three people before taking her own life as police arrived.

Active shooter incidents, work place violence, vehicular attacks, etc., are becoming more and more common.  The have become “foreseeable.”  In legal parlance, foreseeability is a requirement under tort law that the consequences of a party’s action or inaction could reasonably result in injury.  Simply put, one should recognize that an act of violence could occur and reasonable measures should be put in place to prevent it and mitigate the threat and resulting loss of life and injuries.

On Wednesday, February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Nikolas Jacob Cruz, age 19, killed 17 people and wounded 14 more. The focus of this article is on “lockdown” procedures.

On Tuesday, January 23, 2018, 2 students were killed and 16 others were wounded when a 15-year-old boy armed with a handgun opened fire inside Marshall County High School, Benton, Kentucky. Tuesday’s school shooting came a day after a 15-year-old girl was wounded at Italy High School in Texas after someone opened fire inside the cafeteria.  

On Sunday, November 5, 2017, Devin Patrick Kelley entered the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and proceeded to shoot the congregants with a semi-automatic rifle killing at least 26 people and wounding 20 others. Authorities believe Kelly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being pursued by two Good Samaritans as he tried to get away from the Church.

On Tuesday, October 31, 2017, a driver identified as Sayfullo Saipov, drove a pickup truck down a crowded bike path along the Hudson River in Manhattan, killing eight people and injuring 11 before being shot by a police officer in what officials are calling the deadliest terrorist attack on New York City since September 11, 2001.

On Sunday, September 24, 2017, at approximately 11:00 am, Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, arrived at the Burnett Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee armed with a handgun and "fired upon the church building," according to a State of Tennessee affidavit.  

On Wednesday, September 13, 2017, sophomore high school student, Caleb Sharpe, shot and killed one student and seriously wounded three others. Below is a partial reprint of a news article which appeared in The Spokesman-Review describing the event.

On Friday, July 28, 2017, a man with a knife fatally stabbed one person at an Edeka Supermarket in the northern German city of Hamburg and wounded four others as he fled. A 26-year old man, born in the United Arab Emirates, entered the supermarket in the Barmbek district on Friday afternoon. He stabbed a 52 year-old German man who died at the scene. As he fled, he wounded another four people; a 50 year old woman and four men aged 64, 57, 56 and 19. A 35-year-old man was injured while tackling the attacker, police said.

Below is a reprint of an online news article, entitled “Ex-prisoner en route to job interview takes shirt off back to save man’s life,” written by Megan Cerullo of the New York Daily News. It appeared online, Friday, July 14, 2017, at 2:49 am.

Below is a reprint of an online news article, entitled “Bronx-Lebanon Hospital staff members recall terror” written by Laura Figueroa of Newsday. It appeared online, July 3, 2017 at 7:09 PM. A summary follows the article.

On Friday, June 30, 2017, at approximately 2:50 pm, Dr. Henry Bello, age 45, armed with an AR-15 assault rifle and wearing a lab coat gained access to the 16th and 17th floors of the Lebanon-Bronx Hospital, where he previously worked. Investigators believe he concealed the rifle beneath his lab coat as he entered the hospital. He shot and killed a doctor and wounded six others before taking his own life.  Bello set himself on fire and then shot himself.

On Wednesday, June 14, 2017, at approximately 7:00 am, James T. Hodgkinson, age 66, opened fire on members of the Republican congressional baseball team at a practice field in Alexandria, Virginia. Hodgkinson used a rifle and shot four people, including Steve Scalise, the Majority Whip of the House of Representatives. Hodgkinson was also armed with a handgun. Witnesses told investigators that when the gunman arrived at the ball field, he asked people: "Are these the Republicans or the Democrats?"

On Thursday, June 8, 2017, at approximately 1:00 am, Randy Stair, 24 years of age, blocked the entrances and exits to the Weis store where he worked in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, after the store had closed. He opened fire with two-pistol-grip shotguns he carried into the store in a duffel bag. He fired 59 shots inside the supermarket, killing three fellow employees and himself.  One witness escaped unharmed and called 911 dispatchers. 

On Monday June 5, 2017, at approximately 8:00 am, 5 people at Fiamma, Inc., near Orlando, Florida, were fatally shot by a former employee who later killed himself. It has been reported that John Robert Neumann Jr., age 45, a former “disgruntled employee,” singled out employees at the business which manufactures accessories for recreational vehicles in an industrial area approximately seven miles from downtown Orlando. Neumann was fired from his job at Fiamma this past April.

On Saturday, June 3, 2017 at approximately 10:00 pm (GMT) seven people were killed and dozens wounded in a terrorist attack on London Bridge and in Borough Market. Within minutes of the attack, the Metropolitan Police received reports that a vehicle had struck pedestrians on London Bridge. A white van with Hertz hire markings eventually came to a halt outside a pub on the south side of the bridge. Three attackers then jumped out and continued on foot to nearby Borough Market, a popular bar and restaurant area. The men, armed with knives, attacked and stabbed a number of people. Armed officers confronted the men, who were wearing what appeared to be explosive vests. It was subsequently determined the vests were fake. All three were shot dead in Borough Market within eight minutes of the first call to emergency services. Seven people have been confirmed dead and at least 48 wounded were taken for treatment at hospitals across London. 

On Thursday, May 18, 2017, at approximately 11:55 am, Richard Rojas, age 26, was driving south on 7th Avenue when he made a quick U-turn onto a sidewalk at 42nd Street and sped along it for three and one half blocks, hitting multiple pedestrians until crashing at 45th Street. One individual was killed and 22 were injured. After Rojas crashed, he fled the car but was detained by police and civilians and taken into custody.

Below is a reprint of an online news article, entitled “Former Navy medic in photo recalls helping student after UT stabbing,” written by Mark D. Wilson of the American Statesman Staff.  It appeared on line at 1:38 pm, Thursday, May 4, 2017.

On Monday, May 1, 2017, at approximately 1:45 pm, Kendrex J. White, a student at the University of Texas - Austin, attacked several individuals with what authorities described as a "Bowie-style hunting knife."  He killed fellow student Harrison Brown and injured three others. 

On Monday, April 24, 2017, at approximately 10:10 am, Matthew Kempf, age 60, fatally shot his supervisor, Lana Claudine Canada, age 48 and then killed himself at their 7th floor office, 8330 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, Dallas, Texas. Information indicates that Kempf knew when he arrived at work he was going to be fired from Dignity Team Health, a hospice and home health care company.  

On Friday April 14, 2017 at approximately 7:30 pm, a shooting occurred inside the Firebirds Wood Fired Grill at the La Encantada Mall in Tucson, Arizona. Frederick Bair, age 60, and a captain with the Tucson Fire Department shot his ex-wife, Mary Jo Blair, age 57 and her companion, Elliot Cobb, age 66. He then turned the gun on himself taking his own life in an apparent murder - suicide.  Bair killed Cobb and wounded his ex-wife. She was taken to a hospital and treated for her injuries.

On Monday April 10, 2017 at approximately 10:30 am, two adults and an 8-year-old student were killed in a murder-suicide shooting at North Park Elementary School in San Bernardino, California. A second student was also wounded and was in stable condition at a local hospital. The shooting happened in a special needs classroom that included students from grades 1 thru 4. At the time, the room held 15 students, one teacher and two adult aides.

On Saturday April 8, 2017 at approximately 12:55 pm, Abeku Wilson, a personal trainer who had been fired from his job at the Equinox Fitness Center earlier in the day fatally shot one of his former co-workers and critically wounded another. Wilson was a 33-year-old bodybuilder who had worked at Equinox for years. According to employees, Wilson had been terminated shortly before he returned to the gym with a handgun and opened fire.

During the early morning hours of Sunday, March 26, 2017 the largest mass shooting in the United States occurred so far this year. The incident left one person dead and 15 others injured at the Cameo Night Club; a large, warehouse-style club in Cincinnati, Ohio. Investigators believe approximately 200 people were inside the nightclub when the shooting occurred. Several local men got into a dispute inside the bar which escalated into shots being fired from multiple persons.