Gunman told his mother he had shot five racists who were bothering him

By Calvin Palmer

In his final phone call to his mother, gunman Omar Thornton told his mother that he had shot five racists who were bothering him. Thornton then killed himself.

Police say Thornton went on the rampage killing eight work colleagues and wounding two others because he had been forced to resign after been caught on video stealing beer from the Connecticut beer distribution center where he worked.

Thornton’s girlfriend said he shared evidence of racial harassment with her — photos of racist bathroom graffiti and a surreptitiously monitored conversation allegedly involving company managers.

Thornton carried two 9 mm handguns to Hartford Distributors, in Manchester, hidden in his lunch box yesterday morning and left a shotgun in his car, police said.

At a disciplinary hearing, he watched video that showed him stealing beer and then resigned after being asked whether he wanted to quit or be fired.

Thornton then asked for a drink of water and went to a kitchenette where his lunch box was. He took out his guns, walked out into the hall and began shooting.

The first people shot were managers or executives involved in Thornton’s firing,” Manchester police Lt Christopher Davis said today.

Thornton left the office area and went into a large section of the warehouse where more victims were found. He chased one or more of them outside into a parking lot, shot a locked glass door to get back into the building and continued shooting.

One man who was fatally shot tried to evade Thornton on a forklift, which crashed into an electrical conduit and started a small fire

Thornton also passed by at least two people and did not shoot them, including one woman in a wheelchair, Davis said.

Finally, Thornton called his mother to say goodbye, said his uncle Wilbert Holliday.

“I shot the racists that was bothering me,” he told his mother.

Police found Thornton dead in an office.

Davis revealed today that the company had hired a private investigator to follow Thornton outside of work for a few weeks after becoming suspicious that he was stealing. The amount of beer Thornton took has not been verified.

The vice president of the company, Steve Hollander, was among those shot. He had been in the disciplinary meeting. Hollander was shot twice but survived.

The dead victims were named as Bryan Cirigliano, 51, of Newington, president of Teamsters 1035 and had been Thornton’s representative at the hearing; Louis Felder, operations director with the company; Doug Scruton, 56; Bill Ackerman, 51; Francis Fazio Jr, 57; Edwin Kennison, 49; Craig Pepin, 60; and Victor James, 60.

Jerome Rosenstein, 77, was wounded and is in a serious condition at Hartford Hospital.

Thornton’s girlfriend of eight years, Kristi Hannah, 26, said he had told her months ago that he was racially harassed, and he showed her photos he took with his cell phone. One was a drawing on a bathroom wall of a stick figure with a noose around the neck and a racial slur.

Another scrawl said the writer hated black people and had Thornton’s name on it, she said.

Brett Hollander, who also works at Hartford Distributors, has denied any charges of racism.

“I can assure you there has never been any racial discrimination at our company,” he said.

Hannah said Thornton gave her a long hug and kiss goodbye on the morning of the shooting. He looked dazed and confused, so she asked him whether something was wrong, but he said no.

“I think he did it because of the racial stuff,” she said, adding that Thornton “said he was very hurt.”

[Based on a report by the Associated Press.]

Breastfeeding mother doth protest too much

By Calvin Palmer

A Connecticut woman plans to file complaints with a police department and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities after she was told to stop breastfeeding her two-year-old daughter on a family beach.

Kendra Dickinson, was feeding her daughter at Sears Park on Lake Pocotopaug, in East Hampton, when a lifeguard approached and told her she would need to use the bathroom to nurse her daughter Ella.

Dickinson, a former kindergarten teacher who directs a youth theater group and works with children at her church, took the matter up with Heather Holbrook, the director of the camp at the beach who works for the parks and recreation department.

She was informed that her breast had been visible and camp children had complained.

Connecticut Statute 53-34b states, “No person may restrict or limit the right of a mother to breastfeed her child.”

The parks and recreation department is conducting and investigation and refused to comment on the matter.

Dickinson went to the police department Sunday to file a complaint. Sgt Paul Battista said to her, “What did you really lose? An afternoon at the beach?”
Dickinson said the sergeant asked her, “Don’t you think that nursing a 2 year old is strange?”

Acting police chief Lt Michael Green blamed “miscommunication” for the interaction between Dickinson and the officer. He said that neither he nor Battista had been familiar with the law regarding breastfeeding, and that Battista was confused about what Dickinson expected the police to do.

Jennifer Olynyk, from the breastfeeding support group La Leche League said that Connecticut laws, in existence for more than five years, are some of the strongest in the nation.

“I think that usually, it’s a case of ignorance when people try to stop breast-feeding in public,” said Olynyk. “What usually happens is that when someone is made aware that they have violated rights, they apologize. Usually the end result is education.”

She said that it was unfortunate these events were happening during World Breastfeeding Week, when a simultaneous nursing event would be taking place in Elizabeth Park.

Dickinson says she plans to continue to visit Sears Park with her family.

“I wonder if I will ever feel comfortable there again,” she said.

I wonder if the rest of the world will ever feel comfortable knowing that people like Dickinson exist with the community.

What did she expect the police to do, arrest the lifeguard and the director of the camp for violating state law?

Is her attorney, Eric Henzy, waiving his fee to fight this heinous violation of Dickinson’s human rights? Knowing attorneys, as I do, I would be most surprised if that were the case.

Strikes me that the whiff of financial compensation is in the air and that is the reason that Dickinson has gone to these extraordinary lengths to get her panties in a wad.

All we need now is one of the mothers of the children at the camp to file a complaint of lewd behavior on the part of Dickinson and this story could run and run.

[Based on a report in The Hartford Courant.]

Disgruntled employee kills eight people and himself in workplace shooting

By Calvin Palmer

A worker who complained about being racially harassed at a family-owned beer and wine wholesaler shot eight of his colleagues this morning before turning the gun on himself.

Omar S. Thornton, 34, was a driver for Hartford Distributors, of Manchester, Connecticut. He shot 10 people with a .223 semi-automatic rifle, killing eight, and then shot himself as police officers approached.

Manchester police said in a statement: “There were nine individuals, including the suspect, who were killed during the shooting. We are presently in the process of trying to identify the victims and make notifications to family members.”

Manchester police Sgt Sandy Ficara confirmed that Omar Thornton was the shooter. Police believe his fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted, he said.

“It’s one of those workplace scenes that happens all over the country,” he said.

The mother of Thornton’s girlfriend, Kristi Hannah, said that Thornton had complained about being racially harassed but his supervisors did nothing about it.

John Hollis, a Teamsters official, said the union was bringing Thornton in to meet with the company to remedy a problem.

“He started shooting,” said Hollis who declined to describe the nature of the disciplinary problem.

Hollis was not certain if the meeting had taken place when the shooting started around 7:30. At that time, about 35 or 40 people were in the office and warehouse. The shifts were just changing.

Steve Hollander, a member of the family that founded and owns the company, was identified as the tenth victim. He was shot in the neck and wounded.

“Everyone is devastated by this tragic and senseless act,” said Jim Bataglio, a spokesman for the Hollander family.

Steven Hollander is fair condition, he said.

So far two victims of the gun rampage have been identified — Bryan Cirigliano, 51, of Newington, who is the president of the Teamsters Local 1035, which represents drivers at Hartford Distributors; and Victor James, 60, who was planning to retire this year after working for the company for 30 years.

[Based on reports by The Hartford Courant and AFP.]

Connecticut man tried to amputate arm trapped in boiler furnace

By Calvin Palmer

A Connecticut man whose arm was trapped in his furnace for three days partially amputated his left arm when he realized that gangrene had set in.

Jonathan Metz, 31, of West Hartford, was rescued yesterday when he failed to turn up for a softball game on Tuesday night.

His friend and team mate Luca DiGregorio became concerned when one of Metz’s co-workers sent him an e-mail saying Metz had not turned up for work yesterday.

DiGregorio drove to Metz’s house on Taylor Road yesterday afternoon and saw Metz’s car outside but could not get any response either from knocking on the door or calling Metz’s telephone number. He could hear Metz’s dog barking inside and called 911.

“I was a little worried, especially when the first cop showed up,” DiGregorio said. “Then more showed up, and then the ambulance showed up, so it got a little nerve-racking.”

Police and firefighters found Metz in the basement of his home. He had  been trying to repair the boiler on Sunday when his arm became trapped. Firefighters spent 25 minutes dismantling the furnace to free Metz’s arm, said West Hartford Fire Department Chief Matt Stuart.

“We used heavy tools to get him out, including a spreader normally used to take the door off a car,” Stuart said.

Metz was taken to St Francis Hospital and Medical Center and his left arm was amputated. He is in the surgical  intensive care unit and his condition is described as stable.

Dr Scott Ellner said today that Metz used his own tools to cut through his arm near the shoulder after smelling dead tissue. He said Metz likely saved his own life, but must have been in indescribable pain.

Metz attempted the amputation on Tuesday but was unable to free himself.

Ellner said Metz drank some of the water that had leaked from the furnace to help him stay alive.

Dr David Shapiro, a trauma specialist who also worked on Metz, said he could not have lived much longer. Shapiro said that infection remained a concern but Metz is expected to survive.

“I’ve never experienced somebody who had the ability to go through something like this,” Ellner said. “He provides a lot of inspiration for myself, not just as a physician but as a human being.”

Metz will have to undergo more surgery to prepare the arm for a prosthetic, Ellner said.

Neighbors said  they did not hear any screams or see anything that would concern them at Metz’s house at the end of a cul-de-sac.

They described Metz as a quiet bachelor who helps them shovel out from storms. Metz’s dog, a beagle named Portia, is being cared for by neighbors until he comes home.

[Based on reports by The Hartford Courant and Associated Press.]

Police link doctor’s killing to dispute with hospital colleague

By Calvin Palmer

Police believe the gunman who killed a Yale University doctor outside his Connecticut home today may have had a dispute with him at the hospital where they both worked.

Lishan Wang, 44, a Chinese citizen whose last known address was in Marietta, Georgia, has been charged with murder, attempted murder and firearms offenses in the fatal shooting of Vajinder Toor.

Police say 34-year-old Toor was killed in the parking lot of his condominium complex, at 255 Blueberry Lane, Branford, and that Wang also fired at Toor’s pregnant wife but missed her.

Witnesses said they heard as many as eight shots. Police said Toor was shot multiple times.

Toor worked at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in New York before joining Yale. Police are investigating whether Toor and the gunman had a dispute on the job.

Branford police Lt Geoffrey Morgan said: “We’re following a hypothesis that the victim and the assailant had some sort of negative interaction at a previous employer.”

Hersh Arora, a neighbor and family friend, said Toor’s wife, Parneeta, had just waved goodbye to her husband and closed the door when she heard gunshots and ran outside. She saw her husband lying on the ground, saw a man with a gun and asked what he was doing.

The man started firing at her, so she hid behind a car, Arora said. A neighbor tried to perform CPR on Toor, Arora said.

The couple have a three-year old-son, and Parneeta is five months pregnant, Arora said.

Wang was caught about a mile from the scene driving a van and was taken into custody on Bushy Plain Road. He is being held on a $2 million bond.

[Based on reports by the Hartford Courant and Associated Press.] 

Lawyer argues savage attack by pet chimpanzee a ‘work-related incident’

By Calvin Palmer

A lawyer representing the owner of a chimpanzee that savagely mauled a woman is arguing that the attack was a work-related incident.

Charla Nash, 55, was attacked by the 200-pound chimpanzee, Travis, as she helped its owner, Sandra Herold, to try and lure him into her house in Stamford, Connecticut.

The animal ripped off Nash’s hands, nose lips and eyelids, leaving her blind and possibly suffering from brain damage. She remains in a stable condition at the Cleveland Clinic.

Nash’s family filed a $50 million lawsuit against Herold, saying she was negligent and reckless for lacking the ability to control “a wild animal with violent propensities.”

Herold’s attorney, Robert Golger, is claiming Nash was working as an employee of Herold’s tow truck company, Desire Me Motors, at the time of the attack. He argues that Travis was an integral part of the business, saying his picture was on the wrecker, he appeared at the garage daily and he attended numerous promotional events.

So is Golger claiming the attack was a dispute between two employees? When the story first broke, Nash was described as Herold’s friend, with no mention of any employee status.

The house, according to Golger, is a business office of the company. Nash fed Travis, cleaned his play area and purchased his supplies as an employee.

“It’s an unfortunate and tragic accident that happened in the workplace and should be subject to the provisions of the Connecticut workers’ compensation statutes,” Golger said today.

Matt Newman, attorney for Nash’s family, said he disagrees with the argument but declined further comment.

Newman probably declined because his comments would be unprintable.

Under workers’ compensation, Nash would have her medical bills paid for by the employer’s insurance and would receive partial wage replacement, but would not get any money for pain and suffering that makes up a large part of jury awards in civil cases. Workers typically receive 65 to 75 percent of their wages.

The Connecticut legal community thinks Golger could have found a winning strategy for his client.

Paul Slager, an attorney in Stamford, says Golger is making “a pretty creative argument.”

To win the argument, Herold will need to prove there was an employer-employee relationship and that Nash’s injuries were work-related.

Nathan Shafner, a workers’ compensation attorney in Connecticut, called the tactic “a very sellable argument” and thinks it could prevail.

Only in America.

[Based on a report by the Associated Press.]

Shots fired after woman hostage escapes from her captor

By Calvin Palmer

The Connecticut woman held hostage by her ex-husband since 9:00 a.m. today escaped from her captor this evening as the house was surrounded by police and a SWAT team.

Nancy Tyler was debriefed by police and was taken away in an ambulance to St Francis Hospital in Hartford.

Twenty minutes later, power was cut to the neighborhood and shots were fired. Smoke was pouring out of the house on Tumblebrook Drive, South Windsor, a suburb of Hartford, and police used a bullhorn to tell Richard Shenkman the house was on fire.

The drama began this morning when the 60-year-old Shenkman was waiting on the parking lot of Tyler’s workplace in downtown Hartford.

South Windsor Police Commander Matthew Reed said she called a friend and asked them to call the police but by the time they arrived, Tyler’s car had gone.

A blue van believed to be her husband’s was found nearby. Police believe Shenkman took Tyler by force to South Windsor either forcing her to drive at gunpoint or putting her in the trunk.

Police say the abduction took place after Shenkman missed a Hartford Superior Court hearing this morning. His attorney says the hearing was related to a court order that he vacate the home in South Windsor.

Shortly before 11 a.m. Shenkman telephoned the police to way that he wired up the house with explosives and was holding some people hostage. Gunshots were heard coming from the home and police cordoned off the area.

Hostage negotiators began talking with the man and shortly afterwards a black armored vehicle and the Hartford bomb squad arrived at the scene

“He did make a threat to use explosive devices, and threatened that the house was wired,” Reed said.

Police believe the two shots fired from the house were warning shots to show he meant business.

Shenkman’s attorney, Hugh Keefe, said he was scheduled to meet with Shenkman this morning at Hartford Superior Court. Keefe said the issue was Tyler’s motion of contempt against Shenkman for failing to vacate the South Windsor home.

Keefe said a judge had ordered Shenkman to leave by today. “Today was D-Day,” Keefe said.

Shenkman had run a Bloomfield-based advertising agency with Tyler while they were married, but the business has been inactive for several years, Keefe said.

Court records show Shenkman named in a number of civil cases and criminal charges.

Police charged him with arson for allegedly burning down his 115-year-old Victorian beach house in East Lyme moments before he was supposed to give it to Tyler in 2007.

Shenkman was inside the home on March 5, 2007 when the fire started and was rescued from the porch roof.

State police learned that Shenkman had court orders to vacate the home the morning he allegedly set fire to it. The case is pending in Superior Court in New London.

In April, he was charged with forging Tyler’s signature on life insurance documents. Shenkman took out a $9,000 loan against his wife’s policy.

He turned himself in on an arrest warrant charging him with a single count of second-degree forgery.

[Based on reports by The Hartford Courant and Associated Press.] 

Connecticut man ‘critical’ after saving father’s life for second time in a year

By Calvin Palmer

A 20-year-old Connecticut man is in critical condition after saving his father’s life for the second time in a year.

Kyle Landa, of Griswold, pulled his quadriplegic father, David, out of bed when the family home caught fire at the weekend.

Last July, he pulled his father out the family swimming pool and resuscitated him.

Kyle rescued both his mother and father from the blaze before collapsing.  He is in critical condition in the burn unit at Bridgeport Hospital.

The house was destroyed in the fire.

Last week, Kyle became a father to a son named after David Landa.

He and Megan Dydo, high school sweethearts, lived in an apartment at the Bethel Road home, where they helped care for Kyle’s father, said Megan’s mother Susan Dydo.

When the fire began, Megan was at the Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, in New London, watching over her newborn son who was in the neonatal intensive care unit with a rapid breathing condition.

Kyle left the hospital to get some rest only a couple of hours before the blaze started.

“Thank God he was there,” Dydo said. “His parents would be dead. There’s no way his mom can move his father.”

Deputy Fire Marshal Tom Holowaty said the fire was reported at 3:30 a.m.

He said Kyle Landa was alerted first to the fire and then helped his parents, Dawne Landa, 46, and David Landa, 49, get out of the house.

The Landas were taken to The William W Backus Hospital in Norwich. Dawne was treated and released while David was listed in fair condition.

Dydo said Kyle Landa has second-degree burns on his hands and face. He is in a medically induced coma.

[Based on reports by The Day and newsday.com.]

Wesleyan shooting suspect and victim both attended program at NYU

By Calvin Palmer

The fatal shooting of a Wesleyan University student yesterday may not have been a random act, police said today after investigations revealed a connection between the victim and the killer.

As a nationwide alert was issued for 29-year-old Stephen Morgan, suspected of gunning down 21-year-old Johanna Justin-Jinich while she worked in a Middletown bookstore, it emerged that they had both attended a a six-week summer program at New York University in 2007.

Justin-Jinich filed a harassment complaint with the Public Safety Department, saying she had been receiving harassing e-mails and phone calls from Morgan, NYU spokesman John Beckman said.

“The Public Safety Department brought in the NYPD, and initial conversations were conducted with each person by the police,” said Beckman. “Ultimately, after attempts to follow-up with Ms. Justin-Jinich about pursuing the matter, she declined to pursue the case.”

Police believe Morgan may be targeting Wesleyan University and its Jewish community.

Morgan expressed threats in his personal journal toward Wesleyan and its Jewish students, said Mike Whaley, vice president for student affairs, said in a statement.

Middletown Police Chief Lynn Baldoni said: “Evidence uncovered overnight suggests that Mr Morgan may be focused on the Wesleyan University campus as well as the Jewish community.”

Police asked a synagogue just down the street from where the shooting occurred to close.

Justin-Jinich was shot at about 1:00 p.m. yesterday when Morgan walked into the Red & Black Café inside Broad Street Books near the Wesleyan University campus. She was taken to Middlesex Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

[Based on reports by The Hartford Courant and Associated Press.]

Connecticut judge freezes $10 million assets of chimpanzee’s owner

By Calvin Palmer

A Connecticut judge today approved an agreement that freezes $10 million in assets belonging to the owner of a 200-pouond chimpanzee that savagely attacked a woman in February.

Judge Edward Karazin in the state Superior Court in Stamford also set aside the issue of publicly releasing photos of the victim, Charla Nash since they did not have to be submitted to the court at this time.

Nash’s family is suing the chimpanzee’s owner, Sandra Herold, for $50 millionto cover medical costs and the care of her 17-year-old daughter.

Nash, 55, lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the February 16 attack in Stamford. Doctors at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic say she is blind and faces two years of surgical procedures. Her medical bills last month were estimated at $700,000.

The family also sought to prevent photos of Nash from being publicly released.

Sandra Herold, 70, agreed to the freeze, placing $4 million in real estate holdings, including her Rock Rimmon Road home, and Stamford-based towing business.

Karazin’s ruling indicates there is probable cause for the case to proceed in civil court and damages will likely be awarded to Nash.

“I think it was in the best interest of our client at this time to reach an agreement,” said Matthew Newman, an attorney for the Nash family. “It is just the first step in the process.”

Herold’s attorney, Robert Golger said the agreement should not be viewed as a victory for the Nash family since the ruling is based on preliminary evidence in the case.

“We are vigorously defending this action,” Golger said.

[Based on reports by the Connecticut Post and Associated Press.]