Still No Motive In Lake Butler Shooting Spree
LAKE BUTLER (CBSMiami/AP) – Investigators are still trying to figure out what led a long time employee of a north Florida trucking company to go on a shooting spree which left the man, his former boss and a former coworker dead — and two others wounded.
Hubert Allen Jr., 72, drove to several locations around Union County, including the headquarters for Pritchett Trucking Inc. in Lake Butler and shot the men Saturday, according to a Union County Sheriff's Office news release. It added that authorities believe Allen acted alone.
Authorities said Allen shot and killed former co-worker Rolando Gonzalez-Delgado, 28, around 9 a.m. Saturday, then went a short distance and fatally shot his former employer, 80-year-old Marvin Pritchett.
A few minutes later, he pulled over where another former co-worker was driving a farm tractor, exchanged words with him and then fired one shot from a shotgun, authorities said. That victim, 66-year-old Lewis Mabrey Jr., was in good condition as he was preparing to undergo surgery for a broken arm and other injuries, according to officials.
Not long after that, Allen went to the company's headquarters and shot 44-year-old David Griffis in the stomach, the release said. Griffis was in critical condition. Authorities said Allen then returned to his nearby home and killed himself.
With a population of about 2,000, Lake Butler is located about an hour's drive southwest of Jacksonville. Authorities said he was a longtime employee of the trucking company.
The trucking company's website said it employs 400 people and owns hundreds of vehicles that operate around the country. It said Pritchett started the trucking company in 1980.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of their families, and at this time our sole focus is on those impacted by today's events. Words cannot express the pain and sorrow felt by so many yet we are comforted by the memories of those lost," the company said in a statement.
The company's chief financial officer, Steve Perez, didn't respond to an email seeking further comment.
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