Minnesota Office Shooting: Gunman kills 4, injures 4 more before killing self, police say

(CBS/AP) MINNEAPOLIS - A gunman killed four people and injured four others inside a Minneapolis sign-making business on Thursday before apparently shooting himself, authorities said. A relative said the business founder was among those killed.

PICTURES: 5 dead in Minn. shooting rampagePICTURES: Shooting sprees in 2012

Reuven Rahamim was shot to death at Accent Signage Systems Inc., located in a residential neighborhood on the north side of the city, his son-in-law Chad Blumenfield said in a statement.

An "incredibly proud husband, son, father and grandfather, has passed away in a senseless act of violence," Blumenfield said. "Other members of the Accent family tragically lost their lives as well, and we mourn their loss."

Officers were summoned Thursday afternoon by a 911 call and discovered the victims' bodies shortly after arriving, said 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," McCarty said.

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

Among the other four victims injured, three were wounded critically and the fourth victim suffered minor injuries, police said. They are being treated at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Hospital spokeswoman Christine Hill said that as of Friday morning, victim John Souter's condition was upgraded from critical to serious and victim Eric Rivers remained in critical condition. She had no information on the condition of a third man earlier listed in critical condition.

The fourth person injured has been treated and released, Hill said.

Police said a person inside the building called 911 around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday to report the shootings. The first officers on the scene quickly began evacuating people from the business and closed off several blocks. Police never fired at the gunman

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

McCarty said police searched a house late Thursday where the suspected gunman lived but found "nothing that we know of."

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."