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Aurora, Illinois shooting

On February 15, 2019, a mass shooting took place at Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, Illinois, United States. Six people died, including the perpetrator, 45-year-old former employee Gary Montez Martin, who was shot and killed by responding police officers. Six others were injured, including five police officers.

Aurora, Illinois shooting
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LocationHenry Pratt Company,
641 Archer Ave,
Aurora, Illinois, United States
Coordinates41°45′13″N 88°19′54″W / 41.7537°N 88.3316°W / 41.7537; -88.3316
DateFebruary 15, 2019 (2019-02-15)
1:24 – 2:59 p.m.[1] (CST, UTC−6)
Attack type
Mass shooting, workplace violence, mass murder, shootout
WeaponsSmith & Wesson M&P .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol with a green laser sight[2][3][4][5]
Deaths6 (including the perpetrator)
Injured7 (6 by gunfire)[6]
PerpetratorGary Montez Martin

Incident

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The first reports of the shooting began to arrive at 1:24 p.m.,[7] with the first officers arriving four minutes from the first call. Witnesses said they saw the perpetrator carrying a handgun with a green laser sight attached.[8] The shooting prompted a multi-agency response with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service assisting local police.[7] The shooter returned fire when law enforcement arrived. Officers reported at 2:59 p.m. that the suspect had been shot and killed. The exchange of gunfire lasted about 90 minutes. In total, five people were killed by the gunman. Five police officers were injured along with another civilian. The perpetrator was killed by law enforcement officers.[8][9][10]

Victims

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The five victims fatally shot were male workers at the Henry Pratt plant: a 32-year-old human resources manager, a 37-year-old plant manager,[11] a 46-year-old mold operator, a 55-year-old stock room attendant and forklift operator, and a 21-year-old student of Northern Illinois University on his first day as a human resources intern.[6][12]

A sixth plant employee sustained gunshot wounds during the shooting and was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.[13]

The six injured police officers ranged in age from 23 to 59. Four of them sustained gunshot wounds, one was injured by shrapnel, and one had a non-gunshot injury sustained while responding to the shooting. None of the injuries were life-threatening.[6]

Perpetrator

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Gary Montez Martin, a 45-year-old former employee of the Henry Pratt plant was identified as the perpetrator.[4] Relatives of the shooter told reporters that he had been released from his position at the company about two weeks prior to the shooting.[8] Other news outlets reported that he was being fired from his job on the day of the shooting,[2] and that the shooting itself started during the termination meeting.[14]

Martin was born and raised in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and at the age of 12, convicted in 1995 for a felony aggravated assault while living in Mississippi,[15][16] and served two-and-a-half years in prison in Mississippi for that conviction.[14] Aurora police stated that he had six arrests with the Aurora Police Department, including arrests for domestic violence and violating a restraining order, and that he had a 2017 arrest in Oswego, Illinois for disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property.[4][17]

Martin was not legally allowed to possess a gun in Illinois because of his prior felony conviction in Mississippi. However, in 2014 he applied for, and was issued an Illinois FOID card by the Illinois State Police. In March 2014, he was able to buy a gun (which he is believed to have used during the shooting) from a licensed gun dealer in Aurora using that FOID card.[18][17] Later that month he applied for a concealed carry license from the Illinois State Police. The concealed carry background check included a fingerprint check, and Martin's felony conviction was discovered at that point. The Illinois State Police rejected his concealed carry application, cancelled his FOID card and sent him a written notice demanding that he turn in the gun that he had purchased. He did not do so.[17] According to a CNN report, the authorities are now trying "to determine why he didn't surrender the weapon and whether law enforcement followed up with him to confiscate the gun."[18]

On February 15, after the shooting, the police conducted a search of Martin's home but did not find anything to indicate that he had planned the shooting in advance.[19] Upon further investigation into the crime, the police found out that the gunman did plan this attack. On May 1, it was reported that the gunman entered the workplace with a gun and intended opening fire on people inside. The police learned from interviewing workers at the plant that the gunman made threats prior to being fired, and is quoted as saying, "If I get fired, I'm going to kill every motherfucker in here" and "I am going to blow police up." The employee who heard this said he did not bother reporting this to anybody, as the gunman made comments like that regularly.[20]

Reactions

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Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin thanked law enforcement for their response, as did Governor J. B. Pritzker and President Donald Trump.[21] Trump also offered condolences to the victims and their families.[22] Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said, "It's a shame that mass shootings such as this have become commonplace in our country [and] that a cold and heartless offender would be so selfish as to think he has the right to take an innocent life. But we as a society cannot allow these horrific acts to become commonplace."[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Timeline: Police Detail, Minute-by-Minute, How Aurora Shooting Unfolded". NBC Chicago. February 16, 2019. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Baldwin, Sarah Lynch; Linton, Caroline (February 15, 2019). "Gunman in deadly workplace shooting should not have owned a weapon, police say". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  3. ^ Guarino, Mark; Phillips, Kristine; Sellers, Frances Stead (February 16, 2019). "Man accused in Aurora mass shooting had been convicted for beating girlfriend with baseball bat". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Rosenblatt, Kalhan; Helsel, Phil (February 16, 2019). "Aurora, Illinois shooter wasn't legally allowed to own gun". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  5. ^ "Aurora Shooting Report" (PDF). dig.abclocal.go.com. April 26, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Aurora shooting victims: What we know about those killed in Henry Pratt warehouse shooting". WLS-TV. February 16, 2019. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Almasy, Steve; Silverman, Hollie (February 16, 2019). "Shooter who opened fire in workplace where 5 died had lost his job, police say". CNN. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Bosman, Julie; Smith, Mitch (February 15, 2019). "Aurora Shooting Updates: 5 Killed and Several Others Wounded". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  9. ^ "Aurora shooting: Five killed by sacked man at Illinois firm". BBC News. February 16, 2019. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  10. ^ "Timeline: How the Aurora Shooting Unfolded". NBC Chicago. February 16, 2019. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  11. ^ Freishtat, Sarah (February 19, 2019). "Wife of Aurora massacre victim got text from husband: 'I love you, I've been shot at work'". Chicago Tribune. The Beacon-News. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  12. ^ Andone, Dakin (February 16, 2019). "These are the victims of the mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois". CNN. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  13. ^ Helsel, Phil (February 17, 2019). "Intern on the first day, grandfather of eight among victims of shooting in Aurora, Illinois". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Aurora shooting: 5 dead, multiple wounded including officers at Henry Pratt Company; gunman also dead". WLS-TV. February 15, 2019. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  15. ^ Bellware, Kimberly; Melendez, Pilar (February 15, 2019). "Laid-Off Worker Gary Martin Kills 5 in Aurora, Illinois". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  16. ^ Yilek, Caitlin (February 15, 2019). "Mother of Aurora gunman who murdered five coworkers says he was 'way too stressed out'". Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c Stanglin, Doug; Brown, Dalvin; Madhani, Aamer (February 16, 2019). "Police: Gunman in shooting rampage had 6 prior arrests in Aurora, Illinois, including domestic battery charges". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Hanna, Jason; Karimi, Faith; Almasy, Steve (February 16, 2019). "Shooter in deadly Illinois rampage was not supposed to own a gun, police say". CNN. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  19. ^ Moritz-Rabson, Daniel; Phifer, Donica (February 15, 2019). "Who Is Gary Martin? Aurora Shooting Suspect Identified By Police". Newsweek. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  20. ^ Grinberg, Emanuella (April 29, 2019). "The Illinois plant shooter threatened to kill everyone if he got fired, but his coworker didn't believe him". CNN. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  21. ^ "Gov. Pritzker, Illinois lawmakers react to fatal Aurora shooting". WIFR-LD. February 15, 2019. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  22. ^ "President Donald Trump to City of Aurora After Shooting: 'America is With You!'". WMAQ-TV. February 15, 2019. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  23. ^ Romo, Vanessa; Gonzales, Richard (February 15, 2019). "At Least 6 Dead In Aurora, Ill., Shooting, Including Gunman; 5 Police Wounded". NPR. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
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