A man opened fire at a California meat processing plant on Tuesday, shooting four co-workers and himself before the incident was over.
Police had identified the gunman as 42-year-old Lawrence Jones, and said each of his victims was Hispanic, though did not give their names.
Jones, who had worked at Valley Protein (formerly Apple Valley Farms) in Fresno for 14 months, reportedly seemed “not himself” when he arrived at work on Tuesday. Just 3 ½ hours later, he began shooting.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Manuel Verdin, 34, and Salvador Diaz, 32, died after being shot in the head. Arnulfo Conrriquez, 28, was in critical condition after he was shot in the throat. Fatima Lopez, 32, was the victim shot in the lower back. A fifth worker narrowly escaped death, as Jones put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Luckily, Jones was out of bullets.
Police say Jones had an “extensive criminal history” but did not give a motive for the attack. In June 2011, Jones was released from prison after serving time for stealing a car, driving under the influence and causing bodily injury. Just six months ago, he was discharged form parole. Prior to his most recent prison stint, Jones had been in and out of prison since 1991.
After shooting his co-workers, Jones exited the plant, reloaded his gun, and apparently shot himself. He later died of his wounds.
At the time of the shooting, 62 people were in the plant and about 30 witnessed the shootings, which police say were carried out “execution-style.”
