Fox News
Dozens of police responded to a shooting at a chicken processing plant in Fresno, Calif. (KMPH.com)
An employee at a Fresno, Calif., chicken processing center opened fire inside the facility Tuesday morning, killing two co-workers and injuring two others before killing himself, police said.
Lawrence Jones, 42, the suspected gunman and parolee, arrived at the plant just before his 5 a.m. shift. About three hours into his work day, as he was working near the cold storage part of the facility, he pulled out a handgun and opened fire, Jerry Dyer, the Fresno police chief said at a morning news conference.
One of the victims is a 32-year-old male, who was fatally shot in the head inside the facility. The victims’ identities were not immediately released, pending family notification.
Police received the emergency call at around 8:30 a.m. and responded to the scene. Upon their arrival, they located Jones lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the head and a handgun lying next to him. He was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Workers in the area told KMPH.com that they heard a series of gunshots.
Jones had an extensive criminal history dating back into the 1990s, Dyer said.
Dyer said an employee told police Jones did not appear to be himself earlier in the day. It is unclear what may have provoked the shooting. Jones had been employed by the business for 14 months, police said.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us in the investigation,” Dyer said.