Gunman kills four, then self: Minneapolis police

Police investigate a shooting at Accent Signage Systems on the north side of Minneapolis Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012, that left at least two people dead and four others wounded. / AP Photo/Amy Forliti

Updated: 4:30 a.m. ET Sept. 28, 2012

MINNEAPOLIS The gunman who opened fire inside a Minneapolis sign-making business killed four people before fatally shooting himself, police said early Friday.

The victims' bodies were found shortly after officers arrived at Accent Signage Systems Inc., located in a residential area in the city's north side, after receiving a 911 call Thursday afternoon, according to a statement from police spokesman Sgt. Stephen McCarty.

"When officers arrived and entered the business to assist with the evacuation of employees, give aid to the victims and to search for the suspect, they found four victims dead from apparent gunshot wounds," the statement said.

Four other people were wounded, including three critically.

No details were released about the shooter, other than he was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

During a news conference Thursday night, Minneapolis Police Deputy Chief Kris Arneson wouldn't specify how many people had been killed, saying only that "several" victims were found dead inside. She said police never fired at the shooter, but she didn't release other details — including the shooter's possible motive or whether he had worked at the company.

Hennepin County Medical Center was treating the four patients, including three men in critical condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman. The fourth victim suffered minor injuries, police said.

None of the victims' names has been released.

Someone from inside the building called 911 around 4:30 p.m. to report the shootings, police said. The first officers on the scene quickly began evacuating people from the business and closed off several blocks.

Dozens of squad cars and SWAT officers swarmed the neighborhood Thursday afternoon, and traffic was stopped on a nearby bridge along Penn Avenue, where officers had rifles drawn and pointed at the business and a park below.

By Thursday evening, police vehicles were still surrounding the business. People from the neighborhood milled around but deputies kept them back.

Marques Jones, 18, of Minneapolis, said he was outside a building down the street having his high school senior pictures taken when he and his photographer heard gunfire that sounded close.

"We heard about four to five gunshots," Jones said. "We were shocked at what happened and we just looked at each other. We all just took off running to our vehicles."

According to Accent Signage Systems' website, the company makes interior signage and lists its founder as Reuven Rahamim. A phone messages left at the business was not immediately returned, and a woman who answered the phone at Rahamim's residential listing declined comment.

The company employed 28 people as of July, according to a feature on the business in Finance & Commerce, a local business publication. The paper reported that U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez visited it in August in a trip focused on exporting, and praised the company for its innovation.

The company developed a patented technology for producing signs in Braille and had licensed out the technology to companies in 38 countries, the newspaper said.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said employees who were working when the shootings occurred were together and being cared for Thursday evening.

"We are deeply sorry about what has happened here," he said, calling the shootings "a horrible tragedy."

[realisticfromthemiddle]

Once again Schoollord is out here pointing out what needs to be done. Once again, I ask, How are you going to do it? What are you going to do about the black market? Next come the CDC statistics, except for the ones that show the murder rate has actually been pretty stable over the last few years and that those numbers are down from the numbers we saw in the 80's and mid 90's.

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0312.pdf

[jeannutson]

The rapidly increasing gun violence and shootings in the society with it's numerous possible causes has a potential of being a persistent societal threat.

[schoollord]

Gun violence is already a persistent societal threat. For decades around 30,000 Americans are killed with guns in the US each year. We are shocked when a single gunman kills three or twenty but more than 80 Americans are killed with guns each day. This must stop. Guns are a huge part of the homicide and suicide problems.

[Colt4542]

Anticipating the event is the best way to prevent workplace violence. The article does not go into the details of why they employee was let go nor the circumstances. Was he violent? depressed? combative?

All companies are going to have turnover. Small companies probably can't afford a full time security guard at the front door. But when an employee is terminated under "difficult" circumstances, there should be some sort of enhanced security put in place, at least for a few days.

[schoollord]

Colt said "Anticipating the event is the best way to prevent workplace violence" as well as preventing it. Do not hire gun owners is a good prevention.

[margroks]

This has nothing to do with Obama or Ft. Hood. Plus you should get your facts straight. Seriously, you don't think soldiers work?

[Hutterite]

As always, right after the crazed gunman has run amok is NOT the time to talk about gun control.

[mecury69]

Unfortunately, that window of time has shrunk to a day or two.

[schoollord]

winchester...the NRA is EVIL. How could anyone malign that?

[cf03]

Schoollord,

Please link where you get your information. From what I have read from the CDC and Uniformed Crime Report from the FBI, your numbers do not add up. They are completely off and you have not been able to back up what you say. Working in law enforcement everyday and dealing with society contradicts your arguments.

[schoollord]

Most mass shooters are legal gun owners including the Colorado Batman movie shooter. The number of legal gun owners going berserk is growing.

[schoollord]

This is most likely another case of a legal gun owner using his legal gus to kill people.

[nandalinnaung]

well, it's time GOVT review the guns and firearms law.

[Educator123]

Would you feel better if he pushed them out of a 4th story window?

[schoollord]

Educator...close to 70% of all homicides and close to 60% of all suicides are gun related. Less than 0.05% of the homicides are people pushed out of windows so what is your point?

[retired_ranger]

This was just a horrible shooting...Has NOTHING to do with Obama of the Left or Right. Why do some defile the memory of victims by bringing politics into such things?...