HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A black man who went on a shooting
rampage at a beer distributor calmly told a 911 operator that it
was "a racist place" and that he "handled the problem" but
wished he had shot more people.
Omar Thornton called 911 after shooting 10 co-workers - eight
fatally - on Tuesday morning at Hartford Distributors Inc. He
introduced himself as "the shooter over in Manchester" and said
he was hiding in the building, but he would not say where.
"You probably want to know the reason why I shot this place
up," he said, his voice steady. "This place is a racist place.
They're treating me bad over here. And treat all other black
employees bad over here, too. So I took it to my own hands and
handled the problem. I wish I could have got more of the people."
Authorities say thornton stashed the weapon and ammunition
in his lunchbox. They say he had least five guns registered to him.
On the 911 tapes, Thornton answered questions, such as the type of
gun he was using -- an SR9 Ruger -- and when Taylor asked if it was
an automatic weapon, Thornton told him it was a pistol and said,
"I like pistols, they are my favorite." At one point, Thornton
seemed to be trying to count how many bullets he had left before
saying "enough left to take care of business."