William Baker

Overview

William D. Baker, 66, returned to the Navistar International engine plant in Melrose Park, Illinois, and opened fire with an assault rifle, killing four employees and wounding four others before killing himself.

Timeline

• February 6, 2001 — Baker forced his way into the Navistar International plant and opened fire, killing five people including himself and wounding four others.
• May 22, 1998 — Baker was convicted of criminal sexual assault.
• May 8, 1998 — Baker renewed his firearms owner identification (FOID) card.
• November 7 — Baker was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges involving a scheme to steal engines and engine parts from the Navistar plant.
• February 19, 1993 — Baker was issued a FOID card.
• December 1993 — Baker bought the Remington shotgun and the .30-caliber hunting rifle from Pepper Sports, a licensed gun dealer in Glen Ellyn.
• 1994 — Navistar fired Baker after theft.
• early 1990s — Baker admitted he and five others stole $195,000 worth of engines and auto parts from the plant.
• 1993 — Baker pleaded guilty to criminal damage to property for throwing a bottle at a car while driving on Interstate 290.
• 1997 — Baker was accused of molesting a 12-year-old girl.
• following year — Baker pleaded guilty to criminal sexual assault in exchange for prosecutors dropping another charge.
• last year — Baker bought a home for $119,000 in Carol Stream, according to records.
• 1994 firing — Baker worked at the plant for 39 years before being fired for theft.

The incident at Navistar International (Melrose Park, Illinois)

Baker arrived at the Navistar International plant in Melrose Park, Illinois, carrying an arsenal of weapons in a golf bag. Police said he made his way through the building and shot at employees.

A security guard tried to stop Baker at the northwest entrance. Police said Baker brandished a weapon, held it to the guard’s side, forced his way into the plant, and proceeded down a hallway firing at employees. The shooting lasted about 8 to 10 minutes, and police said it ended when Baker walked into an office, shot a worker there, and then killed himself.

Authorities said Baker used an AK-47 assault rifle to shoot workers. Investigators later found an AK-47 assault rifle, a hunting rifle, a shotgun, and several other weapons at the scene. Police said Baker had quite a lot of ammunition, including clips, boxes of ammunition, and loose ammunition.

Autopsy results from the Cook County medical examiner’s office showed each victim died of a single gunshot wound.

Victims and injuries

Fatalities

Navistar identified three of the dead as Baker, Daniel Dorsch, and Robert Wehrheim. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office identified two others as Michael Brus and William Garcia. The incidents described the following people as killed:

• Daniel Dorsch, 52 (a supervisor in the engine lab)
• Robert Wehrheim, 47 (a lab technician)
• Michael Brus, 48
• William Garcia, 43
• William D. Baker, 66 (the gunman, killed himself)

Additional detail in the incident reporting described the victims’ localities:

• Michael Brus was described as of Hinckley.
• Daniel T. Dorsch was described as of Elmwood Park.
• William Garcia was described as of Carpentersville.
• Robert E. Wehrheim was described as of Hanover Park.

Injuries

Four people were wounded:

• Carl S. Swanson, 45 — shot in the abdomen; in critical condition at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital after four hours of surgery.
• Mujtaba H. Aidroos, 24 — gunshot wound to the chest; described as in critical condition at Loyola University Medical Center with later upgrade to fair condition.
• Matthew R. Kusch, 22 — shot in the foot; treated and released from Gottlieb after being grazed by a bullet on a toe of his right foot.
• Bryan W. Snyder, 26 — shot in the left arm; in fair condition at Loyola with later description of release from Loyola University Medical Center.

Another injured person was described as “Matthew Kusch, 22,” who was grazed on a toe of his right foot and treated and released.

Witness statements and contemporaneous descriptions

Martin Reutimann, a 24-year-old engineer, heard gunfire and said: "I heard somebody yell, "There's a guy in the center aisle with a gun!"'

Reutimann grabbed his coat and cellular phone and called 911 as people ran past him. Authorities also quoted Reutimann that he heard gunshots as he dialed 911.

Bryan Snyder described what he thought at first:

• "It was completely unreal"
• "I can't really say I was ever afraid"
• "It's bizarre"

One injured person, Kusch, later said to reporters: "I got shot in the foot and all my friends died today. Give me some time, I don't want to talk to you people right now,"

Authorities described the plant as employing about 1,400 people.

Weapons described and tracing issues

Police said Baker arrived with weapons in a golf bag and that recovered weapons included:

• a fully automatic AK-47 assault rifle
• a snubnose, .38-caliber police special revolver
• a Remington 12 gauge shotgun
• a .30-caliber Winchester hunting rifle with scope

Police also said that investigators were still trying to trace where and when Baker obtained other weapons used in the rampage, including an SKS assault rifle and a .38-caliber revolver. A fifth weapon, a .22 caliber rifle, was discovered when Baker’s home was searched Monday night.

Melrose Park police said they would run shell casings through the state police IBIS system to see if any of the weapons had been used in previous crimes.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said it had put an expedited trace on the weapons.

Tom Ahern, an ATF spokesman, said: "Baker should not have had the weapons because of his criminal record"

Attempted entry and interaction with security

A security guard refused to let Baker enter after screening him. Police said Baker brandished a weapon holding it to the guard’s side and forced his way into the plant. Navistar spokesman Bob Corso said the guard followed the company’s procedures when she screened Baker and refused to allow him to enter; Corso said none of the plant’s guards was armed.

Background and prior criminal history

Baker was a former Navistar International factory worker who had been fired for theft. Authorities said he had been scheduled to surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons for a federal prison term related to conspiracy to commit theft from an interstate shipment. Reporting described the prison term as five months.

Theft and federal sentence

Baker pleaded guilty last June, and was later sentenced on November 7. The plea agreement described Baker admitting helping a fellow plant employee steal diesel engines and components worth US$195,400, with Baker using his forklift to hoist the engines onto a truck driven by another employee. Authorities described that the thefts began in the fall of 1993 and stopped the next spring.

Federal prosecutor William Hogan said Baker was part of a ring that included multiple Navistar employee, two former employees, and another person; all pleaded guilty. Baker faced five months of house arrest after his prison term and was ordered to repay US$195,400.

Reporting also described Baker as pleading guilty to a scheme with five other men to steal engines and engine parts from the plant.

Criminal sexual assault conviction

Authorities described that Baker had been convicted of a criminal sexual assault in 1998. In addition to the conviction on May 22, 1998, reporting said he had pleaded guilty to a sex charge involving a family member under 17 and was placed on probation.

DuPage County State’s Atty. Joseph Birkett described a lack of responsibility to ferret out firearms information unrelated to the case and discussed Fifth Amendment issues when addressing questions about whether his office could require a defendant to provide information about firearms.

Baker’s sentencing allocution included the quote:

"Your honor, I'm sorry I did what I did,"
"I thought I was ... under the guide of my supervisor who at the time wanted me to do that."

Reporting also said Baker didn’t mention the guns he had at home that he should have surrendered.

Firearms owner identification (FOID) card and legal possession

Illinois felons were described as prohibited from possession of firearms and as being unable to use a FOID card to buy weapons. State records described Baker’s FOID card issuance and renewal as:

• issued on February 19, 1993
• renewed on May 8, 1998

Reporting said Baker’s FOID card was legal and up-to-date despite his conviction, and that it was renewed two weeks before his May 22, 1998 sexual assault conviction.

Kirsten Curley, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, said: "The fact that he was a convicted felon and had four weapons on him that weren't confiscated is amazing to us,"

Illinois State Police spokesman David Sanders said Baker was issued a FOID card on Feb. 19, 1993 and Pepper Sports records described his purchase of the Remington shotgun and the .30-caliber hunting rifle in December 1993.

Reporting described that Baker’s FOID card was later invalidated. Police said that if Baker had tried to use the card to buy a gun or ammunition, the sale would have been rejected and the card confiscated by the store.

Questions about how Baker kept or obtained firearms

Authorities said they were not sure where Baker got the four guns he carried inside the plant, while the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said it had put an expedited trace on the weapons.

Cook County Associate Judge Robert Bastone commented on enforcement: "As soon as someone is a convicted felon, if he has a gun at home, he's committing another felony," "but unless someone knows about it, it's a crime that goes by without being noticed. That step in the system is missing."

Federal court officials discussed roles in probation enforcement. United States District Chief Judge Marvin Aspen said probation officers couldn’t—and shouldn’t—take responsibility for searching a felon’s home for weapons.

State Rep. Tom Dart said he would review the law to see how it could be better enforced.

Tim Menard, executive director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, said: "If an individual is convicted of a felony and owns firearms, and that person is not willingly going to give up those firearms, it's not the fault of law enforcement," "They don't have the resources to search a person's house and confiscate those weapons."

Other criminal history and personal background

Baker was described as living in Carol Stream, Illinois, and being married at least three times with several adult children from his first two marriages and a 6-year-old son from his latest marriage.

Reporting said Baker was friendly and laid back in the community and also described cruel behavior.

Prior criminal damage conviction

In 1993, Baker pleaded guilty to criminal damage to property for throwing a bottle at a car while driving on Interstate 290.

Allegation and plea related to molestation

In 1997 Baker was accused of molesting a 12-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty the following year to criminal sexual assault in exchange for prosecutors dropping another charge and served time in jail and a work-release program. Reporting said he separated from his wife and that they divorced last year.

Community reactions

Carpentersville and West Chicago neighbor accounts described different views of Baker. Shealah Agraz said: "We just watched the kids and tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, that maybe he was trying to make a new life for himself," "We were cautious, but he was really friendly."

Julia Deem said: "I was shocked to think this was my neighbor's husband," "But I can totally see him doing this. It's not out of character."

Marguerite Papenbrok, the sister of William Garcia, was quoted: "I'm glad the guy ... is dead," "I wish I was the one that shot him. I hope he suffered."

Trial, sentencing, and plea details

Baker pleaded guilty to charges involving a scheme to steal engines and engine parts from the Navistar plant. Reporting said prosecutors conducted background checks and opted to allow Baker to turn himself in for a prison stay that was supposed to begin.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Hogan Jr. commented:

"It's bizarre,"
"Obviously the logical conclusion is (the shootings are) tied into the conviction and sentencing. But clearly no one here, no one in the FBI or no one in the probation department thought he would do something like this or we wouldn't have let him self-report."

Investigation and authorities’ statements

Investigators continued to determine where and how Baker obtained and kept firearms after multiple felony convictions and sentencing.

Melrose Park Police Chief Vito Scavo said Baker walked into an office, shot a worker there, then killed himself. Scavo also described the number of rounds fired and the duration of the shooting and said the investigating was ongoing as to whether specific weapons were used.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Nancy K. Needles confirmed that Baker was the gunman.

Navistar spokesman Roy Wiley and others described the plant’s operations, including its production and employment figures, and that Navistar had security guards around the building.

Outcome and aftermath

Baker died at the scene. Authorities described that Navistar reopened with counselors for workers and reported that about 20 percent of the plant’s 1,400-member workforce did not show up for work Tuesday. The section of the plant where the murders took place remained closed.

Family members of the victims picked up belongings from the Melrose Park police station and expressed questions about how Baker obtained the weapons.

Baker left no note, and authorities said they were searching for a motive. Police said his actions were random and not targeted at any specific individuals, and reporting said investigators did not determine a motive from his background and impending prison term.