MELROSE PARK, Ill., Feb. 5 — A gunman entered a Navistar International plant in a Chicago suburb Monday and opened fire on employees of the truck manufacturing firm, shooting at least three people to death before he was killed. At least four people were wounded in the attack.
MELROSE PARK Mayor Ronald Serpico told NBC News that he had been informed that four people were dead, including the gunman. It was not clear whether the gunman died of a self-inflicted wound or was shot by police.
Local hospitals said a 48-year-old man died before arrival and four other men were undergoing treatment for gunshot wounds. It was not immediately clear whether the fatality reported by the hospitals was included in the mayor’s total.
The gunman entered the sprawling plant’s engine-testing area at midmorning and opened fire on workers.
Mike Kalajian, who said he worked in the engineering offices, told WMAQ-TV that several people ran by him yelling that someone had a gun.
“At first no one believed it,” he said. “Then I heard two or three shots in rapid succession.”
Kalajian said he ran for a basement exit to avoid the crush of people on his floor.
Various reports indicated the gunman was armed with a semiautomatic rifle, or a shotgun and a handgun.
Some workers told reporters they recognized the gunman as a former employee who was fired several years ago. Those reports could not be confirmed.
Navistar spokesman Roy Wiley said the engine-testing plant, about 15 miles from the company’s headquarters in downtown Chicago, employs about 1,400 people.
Navistar International Corp. operates the International Truck and Engine Corp., formerly known as International Harvester. Along with its International brand heavy-duty trucks, Navistar also manufactures midsized trucks, school buses, diesel engines and replacement parts.
Navistar recently announced 5,000 layoffs, but company officials said the Melrose Park plant was not affected by the cuts.
