A package handler with an assault rifle and bullets strapped across his chest "like Rambo" opened fire Tuesday morning at a FedEx station outside Atlanta, wounding at least six people, three critically, before police found the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot, authorities and witnesses said.
Three of the victims were in critical condition, two with life threatening injuries, a doctor said. Police, who rushed to the center at 5:54 am (local time) to respond to a call about a gunman, said the gunman was found dead inside the package-sorting facility, where he worked for FedEx as a package handler.
Two of the victims had been treated and released while a third remained at the hospital and was stable, Dr Michael Nitzken at Wellstar Kennestone hospital told reporters. He said each of them had wounds consistent with shotgun blasts.
FedEx clerk Liza Aiken said she was working inside when she heard something drop, looked to her left and saw the gunman.
"He had bullets strapped across his chest like Rambo, a huge assault rifle and he had a knife," Aiken said in a parking lot where employees were gathering near the station. Before she could continue, a woman wearing a FedEx jacket told Aiken to stop talking and led her away.
Six people wounded at the FedEx station were taken to nearby Wellstar Kennestone hospital. While two were considered critical, others had less serious injuries.
"A lot of them were able to walk off the ambulance," said hospital spokesman Tyler Pearson.
David Titus, a FedEx truck driver, said he was just coming to work when he saw someone walk up and shoot a security guard in the abdomen outside the building. He said he could hear more gunshots after the gunman went inside.
"It was chaos," Titus said. "Everyone was running ducking and hiding, trying to get out of there."
FedEx said the facility north of Atlanta is a hub where packages are sorted and loaded onto vehicles for delivery. It's located next to the general aviation airport for suburban Cobb County.
The identity of the gunman was not immediately released and police did not discuss a motive.
