Violence in the workplace. The topic is a hard one to write about but a very easy one to locate and research. While doing the research one event stood out, not because it was a popular well aired shooting but because it was very unfamiliar.
What is workplace violence?
Workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers. It can occur at or outside the workplace and can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide, one of the leading causes of job-related deaths. However it manifests itself, workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees nationwide (osha.gov).
On a late Thursday afternoon Andrew Engeldinger walked into work for a meeting with management. He was greeted by his manager and a senior manager and he is escorted into their office for a meeting. Andrew did not object but before attending the meeting he walks back to his car and retrieves a 9mm glock semiautomatic pistol and places it in his waist belt and then proceeds to the meeting. Andrew has been notified by the Human Resources department already about his tardiness and his poor work performance, maybe he is aware of the next step is termination and he is preparing himself for the worst. At the meeting Andrew is advised he’s been late for work repeatedly and this is not the first time, he’s also told of the history of these actions dating back as far as 2006 and now they will have to let him go and he is handed his last pay check. Andrew draws his weapon and points at the managers, the managers try to disarm him but he gets away and he shoots, killing one and fatally injuring the other who later died. Andrew does not leave the building, he has become very selective in the victims and he walks through the office building shooting his victims. On September 27, 2012 Andrew Engeldinger shot and killed six people at his office including a UPS driver and then he killed himself for a total of seven lives lost. Andrew has hurt seven families. It is documented that Andrew also had some mental issues and he was estranged from his relatives. When the police searched his house they saw that Andrew also had several weapons and 10,000 rounds of ammunition in the basement of his house.
He also practiced shooting at the Burnsville Rifle and Pistol Range. Andrew’s only contact with the police department was three property crime cases in 2005 to 2011 and he was the victim. The police receive several 911 calls shortly after the shooting began. The first two officers on the scene did their walk through of the offices and the manufacturing area but by that time Andrew had already killed six people and himself. There was no delay with the response of the police department, the 911 operators and the police all did what they were supposed to do, but Andrew was quick and selective with his walk through of the office and with the people he intended on killing.
The city of Minneapolis have acknowledge that to spite doing everything possible to respond in a timely manner there were a few 911 calls weren’t answered. The city have now implemented a new answering system of their 911 calls. If a call is not answered within 10 seconds the caller will hear a recorded message that tells them to please stay on the line until
