2 killed, 1 wounded in shooting at Illinois warehouse; gunman also dead

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A gunman opened fire at an Illinois warehouse on Friday, killing two people and wounding one before dying from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot, authorities said.

Police said that Michael L. Collins, 48, of Springfield, fired shots at the Bunn-O-Matic warehouse around 11 a.m., the Peoria Journal-Star reported.

Police said the victims, who were not identified, included a man in his 20s and a man in his 60s, the newspaper reported. Both men were fatally shot inside the facility.

The third victim, a woman in her 50s, was shot in the parking lot of the warehouse, the Journal-Star reported. She was taken to an area hospital and was in critical condition Friday night, authorities said.

Collins and the victims all worked at Bunn-O-Matic, Springfield police Chief Kenny Winslow said during a news conference.

Bunn-O-Matic manufactures beverage dispensing equipment, NBC News reported.

Collins was found dead inside his vehicle around 2 p.m. in nearby Morgan County, the Journal-Star reported. Two handguns were found next to Collins’ body, The Associated Press reported. Collins also had a valid firearm owners identification card, according to the Journal-Star.

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said that autopsies on the two victims were scheduled for Saturday morning, The State Journal-Register of Springfield reported.

There were about 175 employees at the warehouse when the shooting broke out, Winslow said.

Bunn president and CEO Hy Bunn said it was a sad day.

“It’s the saddest possible day for our company, naturally, and particularly in light of all the other troubles that are among us and around us,” Bunn said at the news conference. “We just want to wish our very best to the victim’s families and to all of our employees, we will certainly be there with every bit of support possible and we will do everything we can to help all of them through this crisis.”

Charles Bantle, who works in facilities maintenance at the warehouse, said he did not realize the pops he was hearing were gunshots.

“I was in the maintenance shop and just heard the gunshots and everybody started running,” Bantle told The State Journal-Register. “And I’m in maintenance, so I figured something’s broken. So I started walking towards it, figured it was the air compressor blowing up or something and I was going to have to go fix it. But then everyone was screaming and yelling, telling me to go the other way. So we all ran and took cover.”

Andy Sisk, who works in the company’s shipping department, told the newspaper that he heard about three shots fired.

“Everybody was trying to figure out what was going on,” Sisk said. “And when we found out, we locked the place down, all the doors were locked and shut. And we all gathered in one area. ... And just went from there until the police showed up.”

Cox Media Group