An alleged gunman is dead after authorities said he shot and killed five people and injured five police officers at a manufacturing facility in Aurora on Friday. Here’s a look at other workplace shootings that have occurred in Illinois:
ArrowStream, Chicago, July 31, 2014
• One dead, plus the gunman, who died of self-inflicted gunshot wound.
• A few days after he learned he was being demoted, Tony DeFrances walked into his boss’ office in the Loop and confronted him with a gun. After a struggle, DeFrances, who was the chief technology officer, shot CEO Steven LaVoie twice before shooting himself in the head.
• DeFrances died at the scene. LaVoie died from his injuries about three months later.
Lane Bryant store, Tinley Park, Feb. 2, 2008
• Five dead.
• Four customers and a store manager were taken to the back of the store and shot. The case has never been solved.
Windy City Core Supply, Chicago, Aug. 27, 2003
• Six dead, plus the gunman, who was shot and killed by police.
• A man who had been fired from the South Side auto salvage shop walked into his former workplace that Wednesday morning and fatally shot six people. Police said at the time that Salvador Tapia, of Burbank, had cornered the victims inside the cramped building that only had “one way out and one way in.” Tapia, 36, died in a shootout with police.
• The dead included two brothers who co-owned the shop, one of their sons and three other employees.
Navistar International Corp., Melrose Park, Feb. 5, 2001
• Four dead, plus shooter, who died of self-inflicted gunshot wound.
• A former worker who was about to start a prison term for stealing opened fire inside the company’s diesel engine plant, killing four employees and injuring four others before turning the gun on himself.
• William D. Baker, 66, used a large golf bag to hide a cache of guns and used an AK-47 rifle in the attack. Authorities found a shotgun and hunting rifle inside the bag. Baker, of Carol Stream, had pleaded guilty months earlier to conspiracy to commit theft from interstate shipments. He had been scheduled to serve five months in prison and another five months of home confinement.
Brown’s Chicken and Pasta, Palatine, Jan. 8, 1993
• Seven dead.
• A former employee and his associate killed seven people after the restaurant had closed for the night, herding them into a walk-in cooler and shooting them. The victims included the two restaurant owners and five workers, two of whom were Palatine High School students. The case went unsolved for nearly a decade until police arrested Juan Luna and James Degorski in 2002.
• Luna, who previously worked at the restaurant, was convicted of murder in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Degorski also was convicted of murder in 2009 and sentenced to life without parole.
drhodes@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @rhodes_dawn
