EMBED >More News Videos Five people were shot and killed in a mass shootign at an Aurora plant Friday. Gary Montez Martin Aurora Police Department EMBED >More News Videos Investigators are combing the apartment of gunman Gary Martin, after he killed 5 people and injured at least 11 more, including 5 police officers, in a workplace shooting. EMBED >More News Videos John Probst, who works at Henry Pratt Company, describes the shooting at his workplace in Aurora and how he escaped. EMBED >More News Videos Employees at Henry Pratt Company were kept in lockdown in another building until 8 p.m. Friday, when the facility was cleared by SWAT and K-9 teams. EMBED >More News Videos The Henry Pratt Company is located amongst residences in Aurora, and the people who live near the plant were shaken by Friday's mass shooting. EMBED >More News Videos Homeowner Gabriel lives behind the scene of the shooting in Aurora and describes how and why he let several survivors into his home after they escaped. AURORA, Ill. -- All five of the victims of a mass shooting at an Aurora manufacturing plant were identified Saturday, and it was revealed that the gunman illegally had a gun and had just been fired before he started shooting.The shooting occurred Friday afternoon at Henry Pratt Company and injured at least 11 people, including five Aurora police officers.Meanwhile, a vigil was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday for the victims at the manufacturing plant.The victims were identified as Clayton Parks of Elgin, Trevor Wehner of DeKalb, Russell Beyer of Yorkville, Vincente Juarez of Oswego and Josh Pinkard of Oswego, the Aurora Police chief said during a Saturday morning press conference.All of the civilian victims were employed by Henry Pratt. However, Wehner was an intern and a student at Northern Illinois University.In a statement, the parent company of Henry Pratt released details about the victims.Gunman Gary Montez Martin, 45, of Aurora is also dead, police said. He was fatally shot by police at the scene, company officials said. He died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Kane County Coroner's Office.Martin has six prior arrests in Aurora, according to a statement issued by APD Saturday, "including arrests for traffic and domestic violence related issues." He was most recently arrested in 2017 by the Oswego Police Department for Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Damage to Property, the APD statement said.Martin had also been convicted of felony Aggrevated Assault in Mississippi in 1995, a charge that appeared when he applied for a Concealed Carry permit but may not have appeared when he applied for and was given a FOID card in 2014. His FOID card was later revoked because of this felony conviction.There was a large law enforcement presence at Martin's apartment as investigators try to determine his motive and whether any part of this attack may have been planned. SWAT teams and a bomb squad swarmed the parking lot of the otherwise nondescript apartment complex.Technicians worked with a robot, sending it into the gunman's apartment to look for anything, perhaps hazardous, that might give them a clue as to what led up to the shooting.Investigators are trying to piece together a clearer picture of who Martin was.Aurora police said officers first responded to the Henry Pratt Company in the 400-block of South Highland Avenue just before 1:30 p.m. Police said two of the four first officers on the scene were fired upon immediately. More officers arrived as backup and were also fired upon.ATF and FBI agents responded to the scene at approximately 2:37 p.m.Police said five officers were shot and injured. They are in stable condition Friday night, officials said. Police said they found five civilians dead inside the building.A SWAT force entered the 29,000 square foot building and found Martin. Police said the officers engaged Martin in gunfire and he was killed. It was not immediately clear if Martin was killed by a police bullet or his own gun. "There are no words for the kind of evil that robs our neighbors of their hopes, their dreams, their futures," said Governor JB Pritzker, who also attended a Friday press briefing. "Our hearts go out to the victims in this horrific tragedy. Our prayers to their families during what I'm sure will be a long and painful healing process. But we will heal. We will come together as one community and stand by those in pain from today's great loss. We will stand together with those officers shot in the line of duty. We will come together and heal as One Aurora," said Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin.Martin was a veteran assemblyman at the century-old valve plant. Law enforcement sources told the ABC7 I-Team he was summoned to a meeting room where he was told he was being fired. He responded with a pistol, opening fire on the executives in the room, and then took his anger to the plant floor where dozens of his coworkers were still on the lines. "Next thing you know, he went walking back in front and we heard more shots and that's when we just left the building, and he started opening up on the room and he was just shooting everybody," said John Probst, witness and survivor, who has worked at the plant for 40 years.There would have been approximately 30 people in the building at the time of the shooting, Probst said.Employees at Henry Pratt were kept on lockdown in another building well into the evening, but were allowed to leave around 8 p.m. after every corner of the facility was deemed secure by heavily-armed SWAT teams and K-9 units.When they left, some carried their lunch cooler like any other day, and another employee carried Valentine's Day roses and a "happy birthday" gift bag. "It cuts really deep, really deep. I have no words to express it, what the families are going through or what the officers are going through," said Rhonda Morris, who lives nearby.Mueller Water Products, the parent company of Henry Pratt, released a statement, saying:The sound of gunfire and police sirens had neighbors too scared to go outside of their homes for most of the afternoon. "It sounded like a machine gun," said a neighbor named Maria.Residents were told to stay away from the active scene. "Me and my husband were coming back from the store and I saw the first squad car pull up and then there were hundreds just going through my street. And I told my husband, I said, we have to go on lockdown," said Margie, neighbor.West Aurora Schools were on soft lockdown for several hours. The lockdown was lifted at about 3:30 p.m. and students were dismissed. Parents tried to locate their children at different dismissal points.Brianna, who attends West Aurora High School, worried for her safety. "They didn't tell us anything," she said. "They just said that it was not a drill and that we couldn't leave. "The community is thankful for the first responders and heartbroken over the loss of the innocent victims. "I've never seen this before," Margie said.Probst said he and a coworker escaped through the back door. Probst said a nearby resident allowed Probst and his coworker to shelter in his home.The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement released Friday:"Every police officer dreads days like this one, yet these four courageous Aurora officers and their colleagues did not hesitate to literally put their lives on the line today to stop further bloodshed. These four heroes willingly ran into harm's way to protect their fellow citizens and very nearly paid the ultimate price. We Illinoisans should be humbly grateful for their sacrifice, and we ask that you join us in praying that the injured civilians and police officers make a full and speedy recovery."<doc-sep>Five police officers were wounded while responding to the scene of Friday's shooting and are being treated at local hospitals, Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said at a news conference. A sixth officer is receiving treatment for a knee injury. "Thank you for your selfless act," Ziman said to the officers and other law enforcement officials who helped Friday. "Thank you for running towards gunfire and putting your lives in danger to protect those inside the business.<doc-sep>EMBED >More News Videos Police identify the five people killed in a shooting at a warehouse in Aurora, Illinois. Clayton Parks, of Elgin, Illinois. Family photo Trevor Wehner Russell Beyer Vicente Juarez Family photo Josh Pinkard Family photo EMBED >More News Videos Aurora police identify the victims of Friday's mass shooting. AURORA, Ill. -- Police identified Saturday the five people killed when a lone gunman opened fire Friday inside a sprawling Henry Pratt Co. warehouse in Aurora, Illinois.All of the victims who were killed worked for Henry Pratt Co., which is owned by Mueller Water Products. One more employee was injured and being treated at a local hospital, the company said Saturday.The victims were identified as:Parks, 32, was a human resource manager who joined the Henry Pratt team in November 2018 as HR manager responsible for Aurora; Hammond, Indiana; and Denver, the company said. He was in the meeting where the gunman was being fired from his job.Parks was married and had an infant son Axel, according to a Facebook post by his wife Abby. "Every time I've closed my eyes over the last twelve hours, I've opened them hoping to wake from a terrible dream, but that's not the case," Abby posted. "I'm living my worst nightmare. My husband, my love, my best friend. "Parks was a 2014 graduate of the Northern Illinois University College of Business.Funeral services: A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, Feb. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. wit a 2 p.m. chapel service at Willow Funeral Home located at 1415 W. Algonquin Road in Algonquin. The interment will be private.The 21-year-old Northern Illinois University student started his internship at Henry Pratt on the day of the shooting on Friday. He was expected to graduate in May with a degree in human resource management. He was on the dean's list at NIU's business college. "He always, always was happy," said uncle Jay Wehner said. "I have no bad words for him. He was a wonderful person. "Trevor Wehner was in the meeting where the gunman was fired and then started shooting.Funeral services: Visitation will be held 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Gabel-Dunn Funeral Home Ltd., 333 W. Church St., Sheridan. Funeral to begin at 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Afterwards, visitors are invited to the Sheridan Fire Department for further celebration of Trevor's life.Beyer was a mold operator. He was an employee of Henry Pratt for more than 20 years, during which time he held most of the different jobs in the plant. He served as union chairman, which was a job he took over after his father retired after 40 years with Henry Pratt. He was in the exit meeting because of his role as union rep, his father said.Beyer was a father of two children.Funeral services: Family will receive guests Thursday, Feb. 21, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Dieterle Memorial Home located at 1120 S. Broadway Avenue in Montgomery. Funeral service will be held Friday, Feb. 22, at 10 a.m. also at Dieterle Memorial home. Interment will follow at Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery in Aurora.Juarez, 54, was a stock room attendant and forklift operator, and had worked at Henry Pratt for 15 years. He was a member of the shipping and warehouse team in Aurora, and had held several other jobs previously in the warehouse.He was married with three children and eight grandchildren. He had a passion for working on cars with his sons.Neighbors of Juarez said they knew him as a family man who was friendly and hard-working.Juarez was shot outside the meeting where the gunman was being fired from his job.Neighbor Julie Zigman called Juarez "the patriarch of the family" and said "everyone looked to him. "Neighbor Joven Ang said anytime he was working outside Juarez asked him if he needed help. "That's the kind of person he was," Ang said.Funeral services: Visitation for Juarez will be held Thursday, Feb. 21, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and funeral services will be held Friday, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. both at Dunn Family Funeral Home. 1801 S. Douglas Road, in Oswego. He will be buried at Spring Lake Cemetery in Aurora.A native of Alabama, Pinkard became plant manager at Henry Pratt in the spring of 2018. He was also in the meeting with the gunman.The company said Pinkard, 37, joined the parent company 13 years ago at its Albertville, Alabama facility.The father of three earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University and a master's degree from University of Arkansas, according to his LinkedIn account. "He loved God, his family and Mississippi State sports," a cousin wrote in a text to the Chicago Tribune that he said was written on behalf of Pinkard's wife, Terra.Terra said that she received a text message from her husband at 1:24 p.m. Friday that said, "I love you, I've been shot at work. "The Aurora Police Department said the victims were all in the "same general area of the Henry Pratt facility" during the shooting. A sixth Henry Pratt employee was shot, but his injuries are not life-threatening.Northern Illinois University issued a statement about Wehner, who was a student, and Parks, who was an alumnus.NIU President Lisa C. Freeman said: "It is with deep sadness that I write today to share that NIU student Trevor Wehner and alumnus Clay Parks were killed yesterday afternoon in the workplace shooting at Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora, IL. Trevor was from Sheridan, IL, and expected to graduate in May with a degree in Human Resource Management. Friday was his first day as an intern at Henry Pratt. Clay was a 2014 graduate of the College of Business and worked as a human resources manager. Loss like this is devastating and senseless. I ask our university community to please keep the Wehner and Parks families, friends and communities in your hearts and offer them caring thoughts. "Six police officers were injured responding to the shooting. They range in age from 23 to 59 and all have injuries that are considered to be non-life-threatening. Four of the officers, whose identities have not been released, sustained gunshot wounds. The fifth suffered a shrapnel wound and the sixth suffered a minor injury not related to gunfire, according to Aurora police.Police have identified the gunman as 45-year-old Gary Martin , who they said was being fired from his job at the warehouse after 15 years. Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said authorities don't yet know if the employees firing him were among the victims.<doc-sep>
Gary Montez Martin, the man who opened fire inside a manufacturing company in Aurora, Illinois, legally should not have been in possession of a firearm, police said on Saturday. On Friday, Martin, who had been an employee of the Henry Pratt Co. for 15 years, opened fire at a meeting during which he was being terminated from his job, according to Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman. Ziman said that Martin shot at the person who was firing him and others in the meeting before moving outside the room. "We believe that several people who were involved in that meeting are the ones who are deceased," Ziman said during a press conference on Saturday. Martin killed five people in total and injured several police officers during the rampage on Friday afternoon, before being shot and killed by police. During the press conference, Ziman named the victims, who were all employees of Henry Pratt Co.: Clayton Parks, the human resources manager; Trevor Wehner, a human resources intern and a student at Northern Illinois University; Russell Beyer, a mold operator; Vicente Juarez, a stock room attendant and forklift operator; and Josh Pinkard, the plant manager. Another unidentified victim was treated at a nearby hospital for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. The injuries the police officers sustained during the shooting are all considered non-life-threatening. On Saturday, Ziman said that Martin, 45, purchased a handgun on March 6, 2014, after being issued an Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card in January of that year. The firearm, a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber, was in Martin's possession as of March 11, 2014. Gary Martin via LinkedIn The FOID card application process includes a background check, but applicants are not fingerprinted, Ziman said. It was only when Martin applied for a concealed carry permit on March 16, 2014, that he was fingerprinted and it was revealed he had a 1995 felony conviction for aggravated assault in Mississippi. Ziman said that upon the discovery of this conviction, Martin's concealed carry permit was rejected and his FOID card was revoked. "Absolutely he was not supposed to be in possession of a firearm," Ziman said. Ziman said that, after officials discovered Martin's felony, a letter was sent notifying him that his FOID card had been revoked and informing him that he was required to relinquish his firearm to local authorities. She added that law enforcement is now investigating if they ever followed up with Martin. Martin also had six prior arrests with the Aurora Police Department, including arrests for traffic and domestic violence-related issues, according to Ziman. She said his last arrest in Aurora was in 2008 for violating an order of protection. However, Ziman said Martin was last arrested in 2017 by the Oswego Police Department for disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property. Scott Hall, president and CEO of Mueller Water Products, the parent company of Henry Pratt, said that Martin was being fired "for a culmination of various workplace rules violations." He added that a background check was done when Martin was hired 15 years ago and that did not turn up the Mississippi felony conviction. Martin was killed by police after a "very short gunfight" with officers, Aurora police Lt. Rick Robertson said. "There was the initial contact with the officers and then after those shots everything went quiet" and officers began entering the building to search for him in the large facility, he said. It appears that Martin retreated into the facility and was waiting for police, Robertson said. "He was in a back machine shop at the very back corner of the building, farthest from the area that we made entry into the building," Robertson said. "He was probably waiting for us to get to him there, is the way that it appeared, and there were some shots exchanged as the officers made their way into that area." "He was basically in the back waiting for us and fired upon us" and officers fired back, he said. Hall said their thoughts are with the families of the victims and the employee who was shot and wounded, and thanked first responders. "We will be reviewing every aspect of this tragedy and the steps we need to ensure this horrible incident is never repeated," he said. "We are assessing if there is anything we could have done or could do in the future." The employee who was wounded was expected to be released from the hospital Saturday, Hall said.