Shooter in deadly Illinois rampage was not supposed to own a gun, police say

Police killed Martin at the facility in a final exchange of gunfire after he hid in the facility for some 90 minutes, authorities said.

The slain men included a plant manager and a college student

• Clayton Parks of Elgin, Illinois, a human resources manager.

• Trevor Wehner of DeKalb, Illinois, a human resources intern and a student at Northern Illinois University.

• Russell Beyer of Yorkville, Illinois, a mold operator.

• Vicente Juarez of Oswego, Illinois, a stock room attendant and fork lift operator.

• Josh Pinkard of Oswego, Illinois, a plant manager.

The names of the five wounded police officers and the wounded worker — all men — were not immediately released. Of the wounded officers, four were shot and one had shrapnel wounds, police said.

At least three of the officers still were being treated at a hospital Saturday morning, police said. None of the injuries was believed to be life-threatening.

Martin started shooting right after being fired, police say

Ziman revealed several new details Saturday about the rampage, including: Right before the shooting, Martin was being fired in a Friday afternoon meeting with several people in an upstairs room at the warehouse.

Investigators don’t know whether Martin knew before the meeting that he was going to be fired, or why he was being terminated, Ziman said. But he brought the gun, apparently concealed, into the meeting room, she said.

“My understanding from witnesses is that he opened fire right after the termination,” she said.

“We can surmise he was speculative about (his firing), as evidenced by him arming himself with a firearm,” the chief said. “I don’t know exactly what was communicated to him (beforehand).”

Several of the people in that meeting were killed — and witnesses say he walked out of the room and continued to fire. Several people called 911, starting at 1:24 p.m. CT.

At least one worker was found dead on a separate level from the meeting room, Ziman said.

‘He was just shooting everybody’

“As soon as I saw the green thing and heard the shots, we left,” said John Probst, who’s worked at the plant for 40 years. “He started opening up on the room, and he was just shooting everybody.”

Probst said one of the victims who ran out with his arm bleeding told him the gunman “went ballistic.”

All of the gunfire victims were apparently hit early on

Police officers arrived four minutes after the first call — and came under immediate fire from Martin, possibly from a window, police said.

At least one officer was hit outside, with others struck inside the building as they entered, Ziman said.

Police used a BearCat armored vehicle to “breach the facility,” helping officers get inside the building, Aurora Deputy Police Chief Keefe Jackson said.

The shooting then stopped as Martin apparently hid deeper within the warehouse, setting off a hunt. More first responders entered the building with two missions — one group searched for Martin, while the other tried to find victims, she said.

The hunt ended about an hour and a half later. Officers found Martin in a rear machine ship; Martin opened fire and officers fired back, killing him, police said.

It appears that all who were killed or hurt by gunfire — except for Martin — were hit in the first few minutes of the incident, Ziman said.

A sixth officer suffered a minor knee injury and was treated at a hospital.

Police trying to figure out why gun wasn’t confiscated

How Martin obtained and kept his gun will be part of the investigation. Ziman revealed this on Saturday about the timeline:

• Martin was convicted in 1995 in Mississippi of felony aggravated assault.

• In January 2014, Martin, then living in Aurora, was issued a firearm’s owner’s identification card, or FOID card.

• On March 6, 2014, he applied to buy a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun from a gun dealer in Aurora.

• Five days later, he took possession of the gun, having passed a background check and a five-day waiting period.

• On March 16, 2014, he applied for a concealed-carry permit. During a background check process for this permit, his fingerprints flagged him for the 1995 conviction in Mississippi.

• After his felony conviction was discovered, his application for the concealed-carry permit was rejected and Illinois State Police removed his FOID card.

State police sent him a letter telling him to voluntarily relinquish the weapon to police, Ziman said.

She said she doesn’t know why Martin ended up keeping the gun, and whether law enforcement followed up with him.

“We’re looking into whether we followed up on that, and what agencies followed up on that,” she said.

She said background checks for buying the gun and obtaining the FOID card are different than background checks for the concealed-carry permit.

“The … firearm purchase does not require fingerprint. There is a background check, but no fingerprint is required,” she said.

“As part of conceal and carry, that is when the fingerprint” is examined, she said.

Shocked neighbors speak out

Martin’s next-door neighbor, Mary McKnight, told CNN she wasn’t close with him but the two would say hi in passing at their Aurora apartment complex.

“He seemed very friendly. He said hi to a lot of people who came and went. I’m kind of shocked, I guess,” said McKnight, who said she moved into the complex over the summer. “I’m sad and shocked, and you kind of never know.”

“He seemed perfectly fine. I’ve seen him out there with his drones,” she said. “He always kept to himself.”

Aurora is the second-largest city in Illinois, with a population of about 200,000 people.