Manchester, Connecticut (CNN) -- Nine people were shot to death Tuesday at a beverage distributorship in Manchester, Connecticut, when an employee being escorted from the building after a disciplinary meeting began shooting, police said.
The shooter was identified as Omar Thornton, 34, said police Sgt. Sandy Ficara. He apparently shot himself in an office after the shooting spree, police said.
Eight people were killed in various parts of the facility, Police Chief Marc Montminy said, and one shot may have been fired outside. Police who arrived on the scene had no contact with Thornton and did not fire any shots, the chief said.
Two people were hospitalized.
Thornton came into Hartford Distributors around 7 a.m. to face disciplinary action from the company, Montminy said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon. "There were clearly some performance issues".
John Hollis, a spokesman for the union representing workers at the company, told CNN affiliate WTNH that Thornton, a driver hired about a year ago, had been accused of theft.
During the morning meeting, Thornton was told he could either resign or be terminated, Montminy said. The chief could not confirm details or the outcome of the conversation, but he said the employee apparently brandished a handgun as he was being led out of the facility.
Police would not release identities of the dead late Tuesday. Montminy said he did not know if any were targeted.
CNN
