Did suspension over a safety incident spark a shooting rampage in Cupertino, CA, that left three people dead and six others injured?
Authorities haven’t released a possible motive, but others say the shooter, Shareef Allman, was upset about his recent suspension at work.
Deputies cornered and fired at Allman following a manhunt that lasted 27 hours. The deputies say when they spotted Allman, he crouched behind a vehicle in a residential neighborhood and displayed a firearm in a threatening manner. Even though he was shot at by the deputies, a coroner’s report says Allman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The previous day, Allman was at work at the Lehigh Southwest Cement Permanente Plant, attending a routine, early-morning safety meeting. Allman left the meeting briefly, returned and opened fire. He killed three co-workers and injured six others.
Later that morning, authorities received a 911 call reporting an attempted carjacking by a man matching Allman’s description. Another person was wounded by gunfire in that incident.
Allman had worked at Lehigh Permanenente for about 15 years, most recently as a truck driver. He’d been suspended for three weeks after he hit a power line while dumping a truckload of material, according to a union official. Allman was contesting the suspension.
When authorities found Allman’s car, it contained a shotgun, a handgun and two rifles.
Lehigh Permanente called in grief counselors for their employees.
