Aurora Manufacturing Plant Shooter Was Not Legally Allowed To Own A Gun

Authorities said that the man who was responsible for killing five of his coworkers at a manufacturing company in Aurora, Illinois was not legally allowed to own the weapon he used in the shooting. Gary Martin, who had worked at the Henry Pratt Company for 15 years, opened fire during a meeting in which he was told his job had been terminated. He shot the people in the office with him, before running out and continuing to fire at his terrified coworkers. He wounded five police officers before they managed to kill him.

Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman identified the victims as Clayton Parks, the human resources manager; Trevor Wehner, a human resources intern and a student at Northern Illinois University; Russell Beyer, a mold operator; Vicente Juarez, a stock room attendant and forklift operator; and Josh Pinkard, the plant manager.

She said the five police officers who were shot suffered non-life threatening injuries. Three of the officers have been released from the hospital while the other two remain in stable condition.

Ziman said that during the investigation they learned that Martin had a felony conviction for aggravated assault in 1995 and was barred from owning a firearm. She said he managed to purchase the Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun legally on March 6, 2014, a few months after he was issued an Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification Card.

Ten days later he applied for a concealed carry permit, and that's when officials discovered his previous conviction. They sent him a letter notifying him that he had to relinquish possession of the gun to law enforcement. She said that they are investigating if the department ever followed up with Martin and find out why he was able to maintain possession of the gun.

Photo: Getty Images


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