A suspect is in custody after the “disgruntled employee” opened fire killing two and critically injuring three employees of a linen company in Pennsylvania.
Gunfire erupted on Wednesday morning at family-owned Delaware County Linen located in a suburb of Philadelphia. The shooter attempted to flee but was taken into custody in the nearby city of Trainer, according to Police Commissioner, Steven Gretsky.
“One of my guys said he heard shooting. He locked me in my office and went downstairs,” said Margie Heygood, office manager. ” I just stayed in my office till the police came up and said we’ll walk you down.”
According to its website, Delaware County Linen serves restaurants, country clubs, hotels, rehabilitation facilities, universities and more in Southeast Pennsylvania and locations in New Jersey, Delaware and Northern Maryland. The company provides linen rental services, laundering service, wholesale linens and janitorial supplies. It has been in operation since 1988.
“You have to anticipate that there has to be some type of mental health issue that would have an employee walk into his workplace on a day of work and take out his anger in such a violent way,” said Mayor Stefan Roots. “Chester PA never expected to be the epicenter of another episode of workplace violence.”
“People who are victims of this shooting today, they came to work to live the American dream. They came to work to work hard, play by the rules and get ahead in their lives,” said Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer at a news conference. “This is a story that plays out too often across the United States of America.”
Photo courtesy of Kat Wilcox
