A Tennessee man threatened to shoot co-workers but his gun malfunctioned, police say
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man pointed a gun at co-workers inside a Chattanooga office building Monday and pulled the trigger, but the gun malfunctioned and did not fire, witnesses told police.
Multiple people called Chattanooga police Monday afternoon saying that a person with a gun was firing shots inside an office building.
The suspect was later identified as John Schultz, 67, an employee of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau, according to a Tuesday news release from police. Schultz was found dead inside the building after shooting himself with a second firearm, police said. No other people were injured.
In an interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Ron Drumeller, the Air Pollution Control Bureau’s executive director, told the paper that he was one of Schultz’s targets.
Schultz entered Drumeller’s office Monday afternoon along with Amber Boles, the agency’s director of operations, Drumeller told the paper. Schultz then closed the door and set down a bag.
“He started talking about how upset he’s been over the last couple years and things have been bothering him…” Drumeller told the paper. “And then he pulled out two pistols, one aiming at Amber and one at me.”
Boles started to yell and other employees came down the hall toward the office, Drumeller said.
“Once he knew that, he took one of the guns and came close to me and wanted to shoot me,” Drumeller told the paper. “It misfired several times, thank goodness.”
At that point Drumeller said he shoved Schultz and ran for his life.
The situation caused several nearby businesses, including the Hamilton Place shopping mall, to lock down for about 90 minutes. The police investigation is ongoing.