Rage, Confusion In Ohio Rampage

A factory worker who was denied vacation because he filled out a form improperly and had just learned he had cancer opened fire inside the plant Tuesday, killing one office worker and wounding two others before killing himself.

Hours after the rampage, the gunman's mother said her son, Ricky Shadle, 32, got upset when he was denied a two-week vacation in July because he made a mistake in filling out his request for time off.

Rosalie Shadle said her son had a learning disability and always needed help filling out forms at the plant. She said her son took the time off, and did not know he was denied the vacation until a boss threatened to fire him if he did not come back to work.

"He was so mad," said his mother. "He didn't know he wasn't getting a vacation."

Shadle had also recently found out he had cancer and was worried that his right leg would need to be amputated.

"He told me he would shoot himself first before he would have that leg amputated," said Rosalie Shadle.

The shootings happened after 8 a.m. at Andover Industries about 80 miles northeast of Cleveland, Ashtabula County Sheriff Bill Johnson said.

"It appears he came into work this morning and said he had to leave to see a doctor because he had some sort of a leg or foot problem," Johnson said.

Shadle, who had worked at the factory for about five years, returned a short time later with four handguns, including a 10 mm revolver, police said.

He shot and killed Theodora Mosley, 61, and wounded two others before killing himself, police said.

At Mosley's home, her grieving family gathered. Her son, Jared Gordon, said he knew of no problems between Shadle and his mother, who had worked as a payroll clerk for nine years at the plant.

"This guy was probably mentally unstable, he shouldn't have been allowed in the plant and he shot my mom in the back," Gordon said through sobs.

Employees told police Shadle did his job, but kept to himself.

"He was not very communicative with the other employees," Johnson said. "He didn't get along like normal people would in a job setting, in other words, talking to people or something like that."

Shadle's mother said he "never spoke unless spoken to." Shadle's parents also say he never missed a day of work, collected guns and liked to shoot targets behind their house.

Two women from the plant were taken to St. Elizabeth's Health Center in Youngstown. Joyce Thompson Smith, 54, of Andover, underwent surgery Tuesday afternoon and is in critical condition, according to hospital spokeswoman Tina Creighton. Sue Martin, 35, of Andover, is in guarded condition, one step below critical, after treatment in the emergency room.

Ron Stockflager, a worker at the plant, said he heard Shadle swearing at the women before the shooting started.

"Then he got in a metal room and shot himself in the head," Stockflager said.

The plant, which makes plastic car parts, is the largest employer in the village of 1,220 people, Andover Police Chief Dan Vild said. He could not remember another fatal shooting in Andover in his 20 years as chief.