9/27/2012

Police: 'Several' dead in Minneapolis workplace shooting

Police continue to investigate a shooting in Minneapolis that left "several" dead and four injured. KARE's Jay Olstad reports.

By NBC News staff

Updated at 11:19 p.m. ET: Police say "several" people were killed and at least four others injured Thursday afternoon in a workplace shooting at a sign company in Minneapolis, KARE 11 reported.

Minneapolis Police Deputy Chief Kris Arneson told reporters that the alleged gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Arneson could not confirm how many people were killed in the shooting, the station reported.

The alleged gunman was an employee at Accent Signage Systems Inc. who had been fired earlier in the day, Fox9 reported.


KARE 11 reported that police were called to the scene with reports of a shooting at around 4 p.m. A neighbor told the station that an employee of the company came to his home seeking refuge. The employee said he watched as his boss and fellow employees were shot, the station said.

Christine Hill, spokeswoman for Hennepin County Medical Center told KARE 11 the hospital is treating four people, three of which are in critical condition. Those in critical condition are all men.

Fox9 quoted an unidentified high-ranking law enforcement source as saying that the gunman returned to the office after being terminated earlier in the day. The source also told Fox9 that the gunman, whose body was found in the basement, may have been targeting specific employees.

After the shooting, dozens of squad cars and police vehicles surrounded the business. Traffic was stopped on a nearby bridge along Penn Avenue, where law enforcement officers had rifles drawn and pointed at a park below. People from the neighborhood milled around but deputies kept them back.   

Amy Forliti / AP

Police investigate a shooting at Accent Signage Systems on the north side of Minneapolis Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012, that left at least two people dead and four others wounded.

Marques Jones, 18 of Minneapolis, said he was outside a building down the street having his picture taken when he and his photographer heard gunfire that sounded close. 

"We heard about four to five gunshots," Jones said. "We were shocked at what happened and we just looked at each other. We all just took off running to our vehicles."

Accent Signage Systems' website says it "is a leader in the interior signage industry specializing in custom (Americans With Disabilties Act)-compliant interior signage, and serving major sign manufacturers worldwide."

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