mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 200 ...

occurred at a

firm A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, on the afternoon of Thursday, September 27, 2012. The attack took place inside Accent Signage Systems, where a former employee walked into the firm's building and fired a

Glock 19 Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was the ...

9mm

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 ...

. By the end of the day, five people were dead, including the gunman who committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

, and four others were injured, three of them critically. One of those critically injured died the following day, and another man succumbed to his wounds on October 10. It was the deadliest workplace shooting in Minnesota's history.

Details

The shooting took place at Accent Signage Systems, a sign-making business located in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis, which is bisected by

Interstate 394 Interstate 394 (I-394) is a small east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in Hennepin County in the US state of Minnesota. It is also commonly referred to by its pre-1991 name, Wayzata Boulevard, and by its other designation, US Highway& ...

. Andrew John Engeldinger, an employee of the firm, was called over to the office of operations director John Souter. Before going to the executive offices, Engeldinger first went to his car, apparently to retrieve a

9mm handgun. When he was informed by Souter that he was losing his job, Engeldinger responded with "Oh, really?" and took out the handgun from his

holster A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be att ...

. A struggle over the handgun ensued between Engeldinger, Souter, and top manager Rami Cooks; gunshots severely wounded Souter and fatally wounded Cooks. Engeldinger then left Souter's office, shooting and killing company founder Reuven Rahamim, who was stepping out of his office, which was next to Souter's. He then left the executive offices and entered a sign-display area, killing Jacob Beneke, an employee from Maple Grove. Engeldinger then moved on to the loading dock area, where he shot and killed a second employee, Ronald Edberg of

Brooklyn Center Brooklyn Center is a first-ring suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. In 1911, the area became a village formed from parts of Brooklyn Township and Crystal Lake Township. I ...

. He also killed Keith Basinski, a

UPS UPS or ups may refer to: Companies and organizations * United Parcel Service, an American shipping company ** The UPS Store, UPS subsidiary ** UPS Airlines, UPS subsidiary * Underground Press Syndicate, later ''Alternative Press Syndicate'' or ...

driver who was on a delivery, as he was seated in his truck. Engeldinger then entered the production floor and continued firing, fatally wounding production manager Eric Rivers and grazing another employee. The first 911 phone calls made from the business were at 4:35 p.m., when someone called in saying gunshots were being fired. The first officers that arrived on scene managed to escort some people out of the building during the assault. Engeldinger killed four people at the scene. Another victim died the next day. Three others were treated at

Hennepin County Medical Center Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) is a Level I adult and pediatric trauma center and safety net hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the county seat of Hennepin County. The primary 484-bed facility is on six city blocks across the street from ...

, two of them for critical injuries; one of these victims died on October 10. Engeldinger died from a

self-inflicted gunshot wound A suicide method is any means by which a person chooses to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a nonfatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, and brai ...

in a warehouse in the workplace's basement.

Victims

Six victims (not including the perpetrator) were killed in the shooting, four at the scene and the fifth dying in a hospital the following day. They are: Reuven Rahamim, 61, the founder of the company; a

driver who had initially been on a delivery, Keith Basinski, 50; Rami Cooks, 62, a top manager; and employees Ronald Edberg, 58, and Jacob Beneke, 34. A sixth fatal victim, production manager Eric Rivers, 42, died on October 10, having been taken off

life support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...

when he succumbed to his wounds. Another company executive, director of operations John Souter, was in critical condition as of September 28. A person who was in stable condition after the shooting was treated at Hennepin County Medical Center for a graze wound and released on September 28; this surviving victim was identified as Battites Wesley.

Perpetrator

Andrew John Engeldinger ( 1976 – September 27, 2012), a 36-year-old resident of Minneapolis for twelve years, was raised in

Richfield, Minnesota Richfield is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States near the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Minnesota River at Fort Snelling. An inner ring suburb of Minneapolis, it is bordered by Minneapolis to the north, Minn ...

and graduated from the

Academy of Holy Angels Academy of Holy Angels (AHA) is a private, Catholic, coeducational high school in Richfield, Minnesota. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the nationally recognized college-preparatory school educates more t ...

. He was formerly employed by Accent Signage Systems, but recently fired from the business. According to neighbors, Engeldinger was a loner who never engaged in conversation with anyone, while a former coworker described him as not eating lunch or taking breaks with other employees. Engeldinger's parents and other family stated that he had some sort of

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

and resisted treatment, eventually becoming estranged. Authorities said there were clear indications he may have targeted certain people. A search of his home uncovered packaging for 10,000 rounds, indicating that he was heavily armed and had practiced shooting quite a bit.

Response

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Mark Dayton Mark Brandt Dayton (born January 26, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019. He was a United States Senator for Minnesota from 2001 to 2007, and the Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to 1 ...

described the shooting as "senseless," and said that "there is no place for it anywhere in Minnesota." Minneapolis Mayor

R. T. Rybak Raymond Thomas Rybak Jr. (born November 12, 1955) is an American politician, journalist, businessman, and activist who served as the List of mayors of Minneapolis, 46th mayor of Minneapolis from 2002 to 2014. In the 2001 election Rybak defeated i ...

visited Accent Signage along with

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Keith Ellison Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 30th attorney general of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Ellison was the U.S. representative for from 2007 to ...

not long before the shooting. Rybak stated that, "we are deeply sorry about what has happened here," and adding that it was "a horrible tragedy."

References