Virginia Man Kills 2 Co-Workers, Self

Authorities say a man killed two co-workers at a medical supply business Tuesday, then fatally shot himself in the head as police closed in.

Police Lt. Kurt Boshart described the violence at American HomePatient as a "work-related incident," but gave no further details.

The gunman, identified as Brewer Hoover Jr., 65, of Harrisonburg, died at a hospital. The victims were identified as Gary Gibson, 54, of Harrisonburg, and Bonnie Crump, 54, of Grottoes.

A police SWAT team responded to the shootings after the gunman barricaded himself in the building about 8 a.m. Tuesday. Police brought in a hostage negotiation team, but when the gunman stopped talking, officers closed in with their weapons drawn and the gunman shot himself in the head, Boshart said.

Two other employees believed to have been inside the retail business managed to get out unharmed before police arrived, Boshart said.

Harrisonburg, a city of about 40,000 residents, is off Interstate 81 about 100 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.

Hoover's family and neighbors said he was a quiet man who kept to himself. He had worked at the store for 11 years, according to his children, Douglas Hoover and Debbie Morris.

"We're just trying to figure out what's going on," Morris said. "We're still in shock ourselves."

Police said an employment-related problem may have led to the shooting, but Hoover's children said they didn't think he had been fired.

Hoover had run a family-owned excavating company until 1992 and started working at American HomePatient because he was bored, Morris said.

The store was operated by Brentwood, Tenn.-based firm American HomePatient.

Its chief executive officer, Joseph F. Furlong, expressed sympathy for the employees and their families on Tuesday night.