3 dead, 6 injured in shooting during safety meeting
October 17, 2011 by Fred HosierPosted in: Fatality, In this week's e-newsletter, Injuries, Latest News & Views, workplace violence
PDF 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.
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Tags: Lehigh Permanente, shooting, suspension
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October 18th, 2011 at 9:41 am
Of course I don’t know what happened in this case, but we know that doctors who apologize for mistakes have fewer malpractice suits. Managers who impose discipline with a little humanity and sympathy get fewer grievances than those who react angrily and arbitrary. Nothing justifies a shooting, but extreme behaviors are not always inevitable.
October 18th, 2011 at 10:12 am
Union job? Safety Meeting…This guy must have been a lit fuse. Lets hope the union reps did not ignite the fuse with their propaganda. Condolences to the families of the innocent, including co-workers.
October 18th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
He hit a powerline with his truck and the union still supported him contesting the suspension? That is ridiculous.
November 15th, 2011 at 9:27 am
this article is inconclusive so how can anyone make an educated judgement without all of the particulars. Was he dumping his load? Was the power line hanging to low as there are guidelines for the height. Has this employee had performance issues in the past? What was the company’s disciplinary policy? I do not understand the attendance of a safety meeting when an employee is on a 3 week suspension! He should not have even been on the premises. There are definitely some serious security issues with this company. However, should the company correct their issues, it will not return their loved ones that have been murdered or help the ones that were injured due to the irate shooting. The company has a major legal responsibility and is liable due to negligence with security. I have many years experience in safety, human resource and insurance (I am also a licensed insurance adjuster). The bottom line is that this incident should not have ever happened at this company. It would be interesting to know what the investigation determined to be the root cause of this.