A United Parcel Service employee opened fire during a meeting with co-workers at one of the company's San Francisco packing facilities, killing three employees before fatally shooting himself.
UPS gunman targeted his victims, witnesses say
According to witnesses, 38-year-old gunman Jimmy Lam appeared to specifically target three fellow employees. Durning a Wednesday morning meeting, Lam walked up to driver Benson Louie, 50, and shot him. As his co-workers fled the room, he shot Wayne Chan, 56, in the back, and then walked up to him and "finished him." Mike Lefiti, 46, was running from the building when Lam went out onto the street and shot him.
At least two other people were injured in the shooting, which prompted a massive police response to the UPS warehouse in Potrero Hill. When officers confronted Lam inside the building, he shot himself in the head.
"The suspect put the gun to his head and discharged the weapon," Assistant Police Chief Toney Chaplin told reporters, adding that police did not fire any shots. Two guns were recovered at the scene.
Investigators haven't yet determined a motive for the shooting, but a fellow UPS worker told ABC7 that Lam "had it out" for a manager, in addition to personal problems "off the job."
In March, Lam filed a grievance that he was working excessive overtime, and requested that the company relieve him of working extra hours going forward, according to Joseph Cilia, an official with a Teamsters Union local that represents UPS workers in San Francisco.
San Francisco Supervisor Malia Cohen, in whose district the incident occurred, issued a statement saying, "I am deeply saddened by the tragic shooting that occurred this morning at the UPS facility at 17th and Utah Streets. My thoughts go out to the individuals and families who have been impacted, and I want to express my deep appreciation to the members of SFPD, 911 and San Francisco General Hospital, who addressed this incident quickly and efficiently."
"We can't continue to allow this level of gun violence to become the new normal in our nation," State Senator Scott Wiener said in a statement. "Today we mourn the San Franciscans who were murdered in cold blood and send positive energy to the survivors of these shootings. Tomorrow we get back to work to enact common sense gun control legislation."
More here: UPS Gunman Had Filed Overtime Grievance Before Shooting
