Report: Ill. gunman vowed to kill others, ‘blow police up’ if he was fired from job
By: The Associated Press, policeone.com
CHICAGO — The gunman who killed five colleagues at a suburban Chicago manufacturing plant and wounded five police officers before he was killed in a shootout had told a co-worker that February morning that he would kill everyone there and “blow police up” if he was fired, prosecutors said in a report released Monday.
The Henry Pratt Co. employee told authorities in Aurora that he knew Gary Martin carried a firearm in his vehicle, but that he didn’t report Martin’s comments to his superiors because he routinely made “off the wall” statements and that he didn’t believe Martin would do anything violent, according to the nine-page Kane County State’s Attorney’s office report . The employee is not named in the report.
While it has widely been reported that Martin had been fired, the report marks the first time officials have explained that Martin’s firing came during a Feb. 15 disciplinary meeting that was called because of his refusal to wear safety glasses.
