Sheriff: Up to 7 dead, 20 injured in Kansas workplace shooting

[mrclose]

Sheriff: Up to 7 dead, 20 injured in Kansas workplace shooting

HESSTON, Kan.

A workplace shooting in Hesston, about 35 miles north of Wichita, has left four to seven people dead and has injured as many as 20, according to Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton.

The sheriff said Thursday evening that the number of people injured could be as high as 30.

“This is just a horrible incident here,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of sad people before this is all over.”

The shooting at Excel Industries, which employs about 1,000 people, was reported shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday, a Harvey County dispatcher said.

Walton later confirmed that a suspect, an employee at the turf care products manufacturer, was shot and killed by law enforcement officers between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m. The shooter, a Harvey County resident, was armed with a long gun and a handgun, according to Walton.

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article62530532.html

[mountaineer]

Good Lord,  this is  insanity.

[mountaineer]

Shooting in Kansas Leaves 4 Dead, 14 Injured
By KELLY STEVENSON and JULIA JACOBO
11 minutes ago
ABC News via Yahoo

Four people were killed and 14 others wounded Thursday evening at a shooting in a Kansas workplace, along with two other locations, authorities said.

The alleged shooter -- identified as Cedric Larry Ford, 38, a Newton resident -- was an employee at Excel Industries, one of the scenes, Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said in a news conference Thursday.

Police said the shooter fired from his car and shot people at two nearby locations before unleashing a hail of bullets in the factory, hitting at least 14 people, and killing three of them.

Ford later died in a gun battle when a police officer shot him despite taking fire.

"I’m really saddened by this horrific event," Excel CEO Paul Mullet said. "My heart goes out to all of the employees, all of their families.”

At least 14 people were hospitalized, six at Via Christi Hospital, four at Wesley Hospital and four at Newton Medical Center, Walton said. Five victims are in critical condition, one person is undergoing surgery and eight are in stable condition, the sheriff said.

Walton said the carnage began about 5 p.m. when the gunman opened fire from his vehicle in a location nearby Excel. He hit two vehicles, injuring one person. After that, he went to another location near Highway 81, where he shot a person in the leg, police said.

From there, he drove to the plant, which manufactures heavy-duty lawn care equipment, where he opened fire before being killed by police. Police said he was using a long gun that uses .223 caliber bullets. It was unclear what type.

Police said he was also believed to have been carrying a pistol.

Investigators are unclear on what the shooter's motive was, but Walton said it was "not terrorism." But he did say there were "some things that triggered this particular individual."

There was only one shooter involved, Walton said.

A witness who works in the welding department said the shooter was firing off rounds as he chased Excel Industries employees who were screaming, "Fire! Fire!"

“I thought it was a fire, explosions,” Marty Pierce told ABC affiliate KAKE-TV in Wichita. “I didn’t know someone was shooting.”

Pierce said a co-worker who looked in a hallway to investigate was shot in the leg. The 15 to 20 people who were in his department escaped through a side door, he said.

The Newton Police Department also said it entered Ford's home there after receiving conflicting reports that someone was inside.

"We had to act as if there were other victims or someone else inside who wanted to do harm," Lt. Brian Hall of the Newton Police Department said. "We tried to make contact for hours and eventually had to force entry into the home. There was no one inside."  Hall did not elaborate on what was found in the home.

[Charlespg]

And once again law abiding gun owners will be blamed
instead of the people who ruled there is a constitutional right  for dangerous lunatics
to roam free

[DCPatriot]

http://www.facebook.com/cedric.ford.161

The perp....hurry before it's gone.

[GourmetDan]

Investigators are unclear on what the shooter's motive was...

                       

[rangerrebew]

Black Felon Kills 3 And Wounds 15 In Kansas Shooting Spree
 
Brian Anderson
February 26, 2016

http://downtrend.com/71superb/a-black-felon-kills-3-and-wounds-15-in-kansas-shooting-spree

A black felon shot and killed 3 people, wounding another 15, in Hesston, KS on Thursday and this is going to give liberals fits. First, they are going to call it a mass shooting, which it is not because there are not 4 or more dead victims. Second, the media will downplay the violence because the shooter is black and everybody knows spree killers are white right-wingers. Lastly, Obama and every bleep democrat are going to use this as a call for more gun control even though the killer was a felon and wasn’t allowed to own firearms.

KWCH reports that 38-year old Cedric Ford decided he’d had enough of life and society in general so he embarked on a deadly shooting spree. He started out around 5pm in Newton, KS, where he lives by shooting at two cars from his own vehicle. One driver was hit and taken to the hospital where he is expected to survive. Ford traveled down the road a bit and shot another person in the leg and possibly stole that person’s car. Again, the second shooting victim was not fatally wounded.

From there, Ford head to Hesston, KS to Excel Industries, where he was employed as a painter. In the parking lot of the lawnmower manufacturer, Ford shot a third victim. It’s unclear if this person survived. Ford then entered the building and opened fire on his coworkers with what is being described as an “assault rifle” and a handgun. Inside Excel Industries, Ford shot an additional 15 people. In all, Ford killed 3 and wounded 15.

The first policeman on the scene ended up being one of the biggest heroes you will ever read about. Without backup or tactical support, an unnamed police officer charged into the building and engaged Ford in a gunfight. Ford was killed and the officer was unhurt. This anonymous cop undoubtedly risked his life to save dozens of others.

Police have said that they think they know what motivated this violent outburst but they aren’t saying what that is.

So what do we know about this cowardly POS? Well, he’s black, he had two kids under the age of ten that didn’t live with him, and he was a scumbag with a lengthy criminal history.

In Kansas, Ford had been convicted of domestic battery, drug possession, theft, and parole violations. Before that in Florida he was convicted of fleeing from police, battery, and grand theft. Yes, he is a convicted felon.

There are plenty of laws on the books that say Cedric Ford was not allowed to possess a firearm and yet somehow he got his hands on at least two. According to Heavy.com, he flaunted his guns on social media posts including pictures and videos of him shooting. He clearly didn’t give a f*ck about the gun laws. Come to think of it, he didn’t give a f*ck about the anti-murder laws either.

The big question is: what was this? Police don’t think it was terror related. It doesn’t appear as if he was recently fired so disgruntled employee doesn’t apply. Ford’s friends have said that he was happy and normal so it doesn’t appear as if he just snapped. Was this a race thing? Was Ford out hunting white people? Is that why the cops won’t say what his motive was? We shall see in the coming days.

One thing is for certain: no new gun law would have stopped Ford’s killing spree because the existing gun laws were unable to stop him. He wasn’t supposed to have guns and he did. Instead of using this tragedy to push for more ineffective gun control, liberals should pause and say a prayer for the victims rather than exploit them for a misguided political purpose.

[Bill Cipher]

Granted there are plenty of laws to prevent felons from owning firearms.  But how are those laws to be enforced?  I'm just not sure I'm seeing how the practical mechanisms work.