Thursday, December 29, 2005

12/28 Detroit, MI UPS Worker Shoots Family Members then Co-Worker

Jamal Samuels, 22 shot his mother, 56-year-old Annie Samuels, and his 14-year-old niece multiple times at their home in the early hours before he fire to a bedroom in an apparent attempt to burn down the house. He then drove to the UPS sorting facility where he worked at about 3 a.m. in a lot behind a Wal-Mart store where some UPS employees park. He had previous been at his job but was sent home due to lack of work. After lying in wait, he shot and killed co-worker who was leaving the center. Samuels apparently then drove to another co-worker's home nearby in Wayne County's Redford Township, where he took his own life in the driveway. Police found AK-47 rounds at his home but had not stated what kind of weapon was used.
Samuels allegedly suffered from a mental disorder and was not taking his medication. During the shooting at the Wal-Mart parking also damaged a silo, causing the loss of 60,000 gallons of milk, costing at least a $150-thousand loss.

Monday, December 26, 2005

12/23 Spokane, WA Santa Shot by Boy with BB Gun

A 13-year-old boy in Washington was charged with of shooting a mall Santa. The boy used a BB gun and shot from the second floor of the mall. The man was struck just under the eye but did not suffer any injuries and was able to continue to work.

12/23 Houston, TX Former Employee Shoots Supervisors at Oil Change Shop

Ritchie Arthur Brown, 22, arrived at Universal Oil & Lube around noon and began to argue over his recent termination with his former supervisor and son. He then shot the two. Workers at the automotive shop said the alleged shooter worked at the place for a few months, but wasn't a good fit. Brown then fled home and held off police till late in the evening. After several attempts with negotiation and the use of tear gas, Brown came out, shooting at the officers. He was then killed by responding fire.

12/17 Manatee, FL Man Holds Woman Hostage with Razor

Fred Williams Jr., 46, held a woman hostage at her workplace for 6 hours with a razor blade. The man and woman have a child together. He struck here several times and threatened to kill her between 5 and 11 p.m. Williams was later arrested for kidnapping, aggravated assault and domestic battery.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

12/18 Vista, CA Man Kills Two Co-Workers at Pool Supply Factory

Imeldo Molina Laurel, 52, is wanted for the murder of two co-workers at Polaris Pool Systems Inc. While a motive is unknown, witnesses at the scene believe that it something related to outside of the workplace. Early Sunday morning, Maria Martinez, 38, and Manuel Lopez Alvarez, 46, were sitting outside in the parking lot during a break when Molina drove up and shot them numerous times,. The suspect had worked for Polaris since 1994 and had no history of violence. It is believed that he fled to Mexico.

Monday, December 19, 2005

11/27 Albany, GA Pizza Hut Employee Killed in Parking Lot by Jealous Man

Deyale Johnson, 20 and Nevarro Brinson, 22, were charged with murder for the killing of Damarcus Wadell. Allegedly, Wadell and Johnson were dating the same woman. The two assailants gunned down the victim in the parking lot of the Pizza Hut where he worked.

6/10 Fresno, CA Former Employer Kidnaps and Plans Murder of Woman

Ricardo Zambrano, 36, and Alfonso Cuevas Gonzalez, 39, were charged with kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, carjacking and other charges when they took a woman outside her Menlo Park workplace in a plan to rape and murder her because she rebuffed Zambrano's romantic advances when she worked for him earlier in the year. The plan failed when the woman at whose house the crimes were supposed to occur didn't let Gonzalez inside. He was forced to bring the victim to another location. The victim later escaped with the help of another woman, an associate’s mother who learned of the crime. The attempted murder charges against the men were later dropped.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

12/15 St. Paul, MN Co-Worker Shoots Other at UPS Distribution Center

A 19-year-old employee of a UPS distribution plant, Nathaniel Harris, shot and wounded a fellow co-worker at around 8:50 am in the parking lot. The suspect had finished his night shift, went home and tried to re-enter the facility but was not allowed in. He waited outside for his victim, whom he had a dispute with, and shot him with a shotgun, grazing his head. The victim, Jeffrey Anderson, went to the security desk to report the assault. The suspect later turned himself into the police.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Kansas Counties Expected to Pass Law and get Funds for Caseworker Safety Programs

The bill, expected to be signed by Bush before Christmas, is the latest in a series of initiatives that sprang from Teri Zenner’s slaying 15 months ago. She was stabbed to death in August 2004 while visiting Ellmaker at his Overland Park home.
Johnson County Mental Health officials have instituted new safety procedures, which are being adopted by the state of Kansas. And Matt Zenner has been on a mission to create national caseworker safety legislation he wants known as “Teri’s Law.” Johnson County Mental Health is emphasizing education over the latest technology. For instance, they tried Global Positioning Systems and one-button calling from a cell phone, but they generally proved unsatisfactory.
Instead, other procedural measures were put in place such as potentially violent client’s file will have a tag alerting workers to the possible risks. Caseworkers also are required to alert the staff to their daily schedules by computer, to register their vehicles with the mental health center and to provide photos for better identification should they turn up missing. More significant, initial visits with clients are now more likely to happen in the office, or with two staff members present. During office visits, a copy of a client’s picture ID is taken. Windows have been placed in all doors for better monitoring, and blinds in all rooms are required to be open. Other changes mean that corrections clients will be seen in jail, staffers will wear identification badges and have their photos placed in a county database. Emergency color codes will now alert workers through an overhead paging system when a crisis occurs.
Studies show fear of violence is a reality for caseworkers. As many as one in four social workers have reported some form of attack, Catherine Crisp, an assistant professor at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare. Also, 48 percent of all nonfatal injuries from assaults on the job happen in the social services and health-care fields, says U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, a Kansas Democrat and former county prosecutor who introduced the $100,000 funding measure for the counties in his district.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

12/12 Fayetteville, NC Man Shoots Female Co-Worker at VA Pharmacy

Arthur Charland, 42, is charged in the killing of his supervisor, Pharmacist Linda Leviton, 38. Both worked at the pharmacy of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. According to reports, a 911 dispatcher received a call about 8:15 p.m. from a hospital operator about an irate person in the pharmacy. Charland went to the workplace with a 12-gauge shotgun wrapped as Christmas gift and took it out. loading it as he confronted Leviton whome he shot three or four times. He then went to the hospital police office to inform them about what happened and even brought them to the scene. The two had an on and off relationship which Leviton was trying to end. She had apparently called Charland earlier in the evening and he responded by coming back to work to kill her. She is survived by her two teen-age children.

Monday, December 12, 2005

11/20/2003 Earth City, Missouri Man on Trial for Murder of Ex-Girlfriend in Company Parking Lot

Scott McLaughlin is on trial for the murder of Beverly Guenther, 45, which alledgely took place in the parking lot of her workplace on November 20th, 2003. The police testified that they found the suspect’s car, the victim's blood and a broken knife handle on that parking lot the night she disappeared. The judge has also allowed evidence of her previously made statements stating that she was repeatedly harassed by McLaughlin by phone and in person from Oct. 28 to Nov. 12, 2003 and that at one point, he jumped out of the bushes at the same parking lot. Guenther was scheduled to testify against McLaughlin in Lincoln County Circuit Court in the domestic case on Nov. 21, 2003, the morning after her disappearance. McLaughlin also had prior convictions and is a registered sex offender.

Friday, December 09, 2005

12/5 Shelby, NC Restaurant Owner Threatened by Ex-Con Boyfriend

Leslie Wade Walker Jr., 48, was charged with first-degree kidnapping, larceny of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon, assault by pointing a gun and communicating threats after an encounter with girlfriend, Sylvia Gentry. According to sources, Gentry allegedly confronted Walker at the restaurant she owns, about a letter he received from an ex-girlfriend while he was in prison. Walker then went to the back of the restaurant and returned with a .223 caliber rifle, which apparently was kept at the establishment. He then threatened to kill Gentry and leave her body in the cooler and fired two shots inside. No one was hurt and there were no customers in at the time. Walker was later apprehended after a brief chase.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

12/6 St. Paul, MN Ex-Employee’s Boyfriend Rapes Worker who Replaced Girlfriend’s Job

Is charged with raping a recently hired store clerk at a Villeda Express where his girlfriend used to work. He entered the store around 5 p.m. wearing a ski mask and ordered the woman into the basement, threatening her with a knife. The worker recognized the man as he frequented the store. In fact, his girlfriend was fired because of his frequent visits to the business. The worker also had her 3 year old son with her who witnessed the assault. Estrada allegedly threatened to take the boy if she did not remove her clothing which she did before he repeatedly assaulted her. When the worker returned upstairs, she noticed that a laptop was missing which was later found in Estrada’s home. After the assault, the co-owners of the store received a call from a man that they recognized as Estranda as he asked them what was going on at the store.

Monday, December 05, 2005

11/30 Fort Oglethorpe, GA Councilman's Wife Attacks other Council member with Candy

Wanda Egeland, the wife of Fort Oglethorpe City Councilman Richard Egeland, came to Moye’s workplace, Rominger and Associates, made derogatory comments and threats to her husband’s colleague Councilwoman Jane Moye. Egeland accused her of having an affair with her husband, which Moye denies. The councilwoman said Mrs. Egeland also snatched an audio tape recorder from Moye’s hand and shredded the tape which was being used to record Egeland’s verbal attack on her. She also through candy at the woman.
Egeland was charged with criminal trespass and simple battery and booked at the Catoosa County Detention Center.

Canadian Survey of Nurses finds that Violence is Common

The Ontario Nurses' Association is taking a strong stance against violence as two of its members lost their lives early this year to intimate partner violence. A recent survey that they did showed:
• 36 per cent of nurses have experienced physical violence in the workplace, the majority physically attacked by patients.
• 67 per cent of nurses say they have been the target of verbal abuse in the workplace. Patients and doctors are the most-reported source of the verbal abuse.
• 11 per cent of nurses report they have been the target of sexual abuse in the workplace. Patients and doctors are the most-reported source of the sexual abuse.

12/1 Millersville, MD Bus Mechanic Askes Co-Workers how to Build Bomb for ex's- new Boyfriend

Wayne Lewis Milburn, 40, a mechanic at Dillon's Bus Service was charged with manufacturing a destructive device, possession of a destructive device, and possession of a handgun. Officers searched his pickup truck and found a Ruger .357 Magnum revolver and ammunition on the passenger seat and the bomb behind that seat.
According to police, Mr. Milburn intended to hurt his estranged wife's boyfriend, a 35-year-old man from Crofton. Authorities were tipped off as he was talking to his co-workers about his plans, and was asking them how to build a bomb and where he could get some more guns.

11/30 Fort Worth, TX Sailor Attempts Suicide at Base

A sailor who wrestled with his supervisors for control of a gun Fort Worth on Thursday remained hospitalized in serious condition Friday, officials said.

The sailor, who has not been identified, was shot in the neck about 12:40 p.m. in an office at Naval Air Station. The sailor went to his workplace to shoot himself but was stopped by two supervisors, Lt. Brian Sullivan and Chief Petty Officer Charles Lackey, who were grazed by the bullet.

The distraught sailor had a "combination of some personal and military issues."

The handgun was a personal weapon, which was not authorized to have on base where only security personnel are allowed to carry handguns on the installation.