http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... /806260478
Man told girlfriend before Ky. shootings
By Jason Riley
HENDERSON, Ky. -- Angry that he had been reprimanded for talking on his cell phone and failing to wear safety goggles while on the job, Wesley Neal Higdon called his girlfriend from work Tuesday night and said he was going to kill his supervisor.
Two hours later, shortly after midnight, he carried out his threat -- fatally shooting his boss and four other workers in a barrage of gunfire at the Atlantis Plastics Inc. plant, then killing himself, Henderson police said.
The 25-year-old press-machine operator gunned down supervisor Kevin Taylor before going on a rampage, emptying his .45-caliber handgun and reloading as he shot four people in a break room and a fifth in the factory.
"He just walked in, and it looked like he meant business," said Henderson Police Sgt. John Nevels, who watched a surveillance video of the shooting. "He just started shooting at everybody."
Beth Casey, 26, a night-shift employee, said she took cover under a press when she heard the shots -- she said she heard nine or 10 -- then watched as Higdon shot himself just feet from her.
"I just froze," she said. "When it got quiet, I took off running."
All six of those slain, including Higdon, were shot in the head, police said.
The victims were Taylor, 30, of Dixon, who died at Methodist Hospital; Joshua Hinojosa, 28, of Sebree, who died at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Ind.; Trisha Mirelez, 24, of Sebree, who died at the scene; Rachael Vasquez, 26, of Sebree, who died at Methodist Hospital; and Israel Monroy, 29, of Henderson, who died at St. Mary's Hospital in Evansville. Higdon, of Henderson, died at the scene.
Police believe the only workers Higdon specifically targeted were Taylor and Hinojosa, Nevels said.
A seventh victim, Noelia Monroy, 22, of Henderson, was in stable condition at St. Mary's. The sister of Israel Monroy, she was shot in the chest, leg and arm in the break room.
Police said after Higdon was reprimanded Tuesday night, he got into an argument with Hinojosa during a break at a convenience store. Taylor then escorted Higdon from the plant a little after midnight.
Higdon retrieved a handgun he carried in his vehicle and shot Taylor in the head, leaving him to die in the parking lot, police said.
He then walked into the plant and headed for the break room, encountering eight of the 34 employees working the night shift. Nevels said Higdon unloaded on the group, sending workers scattering for cover.
Higdon then tracked down Hinojosa, killing him in the factory and shooting himself.
"I never dreamed the guy would have done anything like that," said Robert Torin, who worked with Higdon until a few weeks ago. Torin described Higdon as a friendly guy who sometimes had a temper.
Higdon had a minor criminal history, with misdemeanor convictions for marijuana possession and drunken driving. At the factory, where he had worked for about eight months, Higdon had a minor disciplinary violation in January for failing to report a broken towel rack, but plant manager Dean Jorgensen described him as a normal employee.
Police believe Higdon fought with his girlfriend, whom they did not name, before he went to work for his 6 p.m. shift Tuesday, and he might have thought he was going to be fired after getting in trouble at the factory.
The girlfriend, who did not call authorities after Higdon told her he was going to shoot his supervisor, could be charged at some point, police said.
Nevels said they are investigating whether she truly didn't believe he would follow through with his threat or was covering for him.
It is unclear when the factory will reopen, but Jorgensen said it would be soon. He said grief counselors were available for its 160 workers, who make parts for refrigerators and plastic siding for homes. Atlantis Plastics, based in Atlanta, has 1,300 employees worldwide.
"I hope none of you ever have to go through something like this," said Jorgensen, who broke down as he spoke at a news conference yesterday. "This is the worst day of my life."
Casey said she was told to be back at work tomorrow night.
"I'm not guaranteeing I'll be able to," she said.
Shock and fear rippled through Henderson, a town of nearly 28,000 people in Western Kentucky.
"This will run deep in our community because we are that close-knit," Mayor Tom Davis said.
Henderson County Judge-Executive Sandy Lee Watkins said the tragedy has shaken the town, partly because so many residents are related to or know people who work at the plant.
"Henderson is a very strong community, a very faith-based area and we're going to say some prayers today," Watkins said.
He said he knew Taylor -- marrying Taylor and his wife about a year ago -- and Higdon's family.
"Getting back to normal is going to be very, very difficult," he said.
At a vigil last night in front of the county courthouse, about 150 people sang, held each other and prayed for the families of the victims and the shooter, punctuating each prayer with a loud "amen."
Of her small town, 69-year-old Ruth Allison said: "It's not Mayberry anymore."
