A gunman opened fire inside an Illinois manufacturing company Friday, killing at least five civilians and wounding five police officers in the rampage, authorities said. Local police identified the gunman as 45-year-old Gary Martin, who died in a shootout with officers.
Police said they have not yet identified a motive but believe Martin worked at the Henry Pratt manufacturing company and was being terminated Friday. The attack triggered a heavy police response in Aurora, a city of about 200,000 people roughly 40 miles from Chicago.
Fast Facts:
- Police said the shooter, 45-year-old Gary Martin, was killed in a shootout with authorities
- Five people were killed, all men who worked at the facility
- Five officers were struck by gunfire; a sixth officer was being treated Friday for a knee injury
- Officers have recovered one handgun, a Smith & Wesson
- The shooting happened at a large industrial complex in Aurora, Illinois
- The shooter was a 15-year employee of the company, who police believe was being terminated the day of the shooting
Follow live updates below:
All deceased victims are male, all wounded officers are male
The five people killed were all men who worked at the company, Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said. All the wounded officers are also men, she said.
The victims’ identities were not yet released pending family notification.
Police give updated timeline
Aurora police chief Kristen Ziman said late Friday that at 1:24 p.m., police received multiple calls of an active shooter at the Henry Pratt manufacturing and warehouse building. Approximately 4 minutes later the officers arrived on scene and were immediately confronted by Gary Martin, a 45-year-old man armed with a handgun.
Martin fired on officers, striking two of the four first responders. The first officer was struck outside the building, and Ziman said the others were inside the building.
As additional Aurora officers arrived on scene, they heard gunfire throughout the building.
Regional law enforcement response was coordinated and several teams of officers went inside the 29,000-square-foot facility in an attempt to locate and stop the shooter. Aurora officers along with officers from nearby Naperville Police Department ultimately confronted the offender inside the building at which time he fired at them. The officers returned fire, killing the offender.
The full incident lasted approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes, Ziman said.
Officers have recovered one handgun, a Smith & Wesson.
Request for information
Aurora police chief Kristen Ziman said family members who are seeking information should contact auroravictimsasst@fbi.gov. Anyone with tips should contact aurorashootingtips@fbi.gov.
Shooter was being terminated from company day of shooting
The shooter was a 15-year employee of the Henry Pratt Co. and police believe he was being terminated Friday, Aurora police chief Kristen Ziman said at a press conference late Friday.
Police said it’s unclear if Martin brought his gun to work or went home to retrieve it. All of the people killed were employees of the company, police said.
Photo emerges of suspect
Police have identified Gary Martin, 45, who is believed to be an employee of the company, as the shooter. Investigators have obtained a search warrant of his residence.
5 victims dead, police chief says
Five victims are dead after the shooting, Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said at a press conference Friday evening. She said police do not have the identities of the deceased.
Five officers were also struck by gunfire and were taken to local hospitals. Two were later airlifted to Chicago-area trauma centers. A sixth officer was being treated for a knee injury, Ziman said.
CBS News has learned that all officers who were shot Friday have non-life threatening injuries.
“I want to take this opportunity to send positive energy to those officers who are being treated and to the officers and medics who showed up from all over the state to render aid,” Ziman said.
Shooter identified as 45-year-old
CBS News learned that the shooter is 45-year-old Gary Martin of Aurora.
Police later confirmed his identity in a news conference and said authorities engaged in gunfire with him when he was located, killing him.
John Probst told a local Chicago station that he works at the facility where the shooting unfolded, the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, and he said the shooter worked there, too.
Police later said they believe Martin was employed by the company.
School district lifts “soft lockdown”
West Aurora School District 129 said it had an “all clear” to lift a “soft lockdown” that went into effect earlier Friday as reports of the shooting unfolded.
It said in a Facebook post it was dismissing students at several schools in 40-minute intervals.
At least one person is dead
Kane County Coroner Rob Russell said there was at least one fatality Friday. No details were immediately released about the identity of the deceased.
“Shooter is no longer a threat to the area”
Police in Aurora said the shooter is no longer a threat and that the “Active Shooter Incident has been secured.”
They urged parents to contact their local school districts for plans on students’ dismissal.
Medical centers receive patients
The Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora said it has received two patients who are being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The Mercy Medical Center, located in the city, also said it has two people from the incident but did not confirm their identities or conditions.
Shooter apprehended, city says
The City of Aurora posted an update on social media saying the shooter has been apprehended.
“EMERGENCY UPDATE,” it tweeted just after 3 p.m. local time. “THE SHOOTER HAS BEEN APPREHENDED! The area is still on lock down! More information will be provided soon.”
FBI and ATF are responding
The FBI and the Chicago division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are responding to the scene of the shooting.
Local school district holding students in place
West Aurora School District 129 said in a Facebook post it is holding all district students in place as a result of reports of an active shooter at a building belonging to a manufacturing company, Henry Pratt.
“Per directions from the county sheriff, the District has been advised to go into soft lockdown situation across the district,” it said.
“Teaching will continue with reduced movement. Normal operations will resume when the soft lockdown has been lifted. No one will be allowed to leave or enter our buildings until the lockdown has been lifted.”
