The Atlantis Plastics shooting was an incident of

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

that took place at an

Atlantis Plastics Atlantis Plastics, Inc. is an American company which manufactures specialty polyethylene films and molded and extruded plastic components used in a variety of industrial and consumer applications. It had 1,381 employees as of December 31, 200 ...

factory in Henderson, Kentucky, United States, on June 25, 2008. The gunman, 25-year-old Wesley Neal Higdon, shot and killed five people and critically injured a sixth person before taking his own life. The shooting is the worst in the history of Henderson County, Kentucky, in terms of casualties, surpassing triple homicides occurring in 1799 and 1955.

Details

Henderson police said that the shooter, who had a reputation for being difficult, had argued with supervisor Kevin Taylor and was being escorted out of the factory by the supervisor. The shooter apparently retrieved a handgun, shot the supervisor, then went back into the factory and shot five co-workers before turning the gun on himself. Subsequent reports indicate that Taylor had reprimanded Higdon twice before the shooting, once for talking on his

cell phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...

too much and for not wearing safety glasses, then later for an altercation with co-worker Joshua Hinojosa at a

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...

across the street from the factory. The victims were all shot with a

Hi-Point Model JHP The ''Hi-Point Model JHP'' is a polymer-framed, semi-automatic, blowback-operated pistol manufactured by Hi-Point Firearms. It is chambered in .45 ACP and is rated to accept +P ammunition. Design The pistol has a proprietary integral accesso ...

.45-caliber

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

. Taylor was apparently shot by Higdon outside the factory, followed by four more workers in the factory's break room, and finally Hinojosa from behind on the factory floor. Higdon then committed suicide.

Victims

Deceased

* Wesley Neal Higdon, gunman, 25, of

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada *He ...

* Joshua Hinojosa, co-worker, 28, of Sebree * Trisha Mirelez, co-worker, 25, of Sebree * Israel Monroy, co-worker, 29, of Henderson * Kevin G. Taylor, supervisor, 40, of

Dixon Dixon may refer to: Places International * Dixon Entrance, part of the Inside Passage between Alaska and British Columbia Canada * Dixon, Ontario United States * Dixon, California * Dixon, Illinois * Dixon, Greene County, Indiana * Dixon, Indi ...

* Rachael Vasquez, co-worker, 26, of Sebree

Injured

* Noelia Monroy, co-worker, of Higdon

References

{{Mass shootings in the United States in the 2000s 2008 in Kentucky 2008 mass shootings in the United States 2008 murders in the United States Attacks on buildings and structures in 2008 Attacks on buildings and structures in the United States Deaths by firearm in Kentucky Henderson County, Kentucky Henderson, Kentucky June 2008 crimes in the United States Mass murder in 2008 Mass shootings in Kentucky 2008 industrial disasters Mass murder in the United States in the 2000s Murder–suicides in Kentucky Workplace shootings in the United States Industrial accidents and incidents in the United States