Salvador Tapia

Background

Salvador Tapia, 36, returned to Windy City Core Supply after being fired from the warehouse about six months earlier. Authorities described him as an angry ex-employee of an auto parts company on Chicago's South Side. Tapia had been fired for causing trouble at work and frequently showing up late or not at all. Police said Tapia had since made threatening calls to the owners.

Al Martinez, who owned a business a half-block away, said:

"We saw a guy shooting at police officers outside the building and saw people running around like crazy," said Al Martinez, who owns a business a half-block away. "We came and saw all the cops running, hiding behind cars."

The offence

Tapia arrived with a handgun and went on a rampage through a maze of engine blocks and 55-gallon drums. He shot six former co-workers, killing them all, and then fought police in a gun battle inside and outside the building. Police said Tapia effectively cornered those inside because the auto-parts warehouse had only one entrance and was surrounded by crates and 55-gallon drums.

After fatally shooting six, including two brothers who owned Windy City Core Supply Inc., Tapia went outside and opened fire on police. A team of officers followed him back inside, and he refused to drop his semiautomatic pistol. Hiding behind a box, Tapia again fired at police before an officer fatally shot him.

Only one employee inside the building at the time of the shooting survived. Tapia inexplicably tied up the man, and the employee escaped unharmed, called 911, and warned another employee who was arriving for work not to go inside.

Investigation

Police said they received calls about shots fired shortly after 8:30 a.m. Acting Police Superintendent Phil Cline said police tried to get in the building shortly after arriving but were driven back by gunfire. Cline also said that when an assault team entered the building they had trouble maneuvering through all the auto parts. Police believe the victims were shot before officers arrived.

Arrest

Tapia had an extensive arrest record. Acting Police Superintendent Phil Cline said Tapia had been arrested 12 times, dating back to a conviction in 1989 for unlawful use of a weapon and multiple domestic battery and aggravated assault arrests.

Trial

Sentencing

Appeals

Outcome

Tapia died after being transported to a hospital and after being fatally wounded by police during the shoot-out. Police said he was slain by police after a gun battle he waged with police inside and outside the building. Authorities said Tapia hid behind a container as he fired rounds from his semiautomatic pistol before being killed.

In a report of the rampage, CBS News Correspondent Cynthia Bowers identified the gunman as Salvador Tapia, 36, among the dead. Tapia was also described as one of the dead in a shootout at the auto parts warehouse.

Aftermath

Seven people were reported dead after the gun battle. Four of the warehouse workers died at the scene; Tapia and two others died at hospitals. Police said one employee survived by escaping after being tied up and calling 911.

Pamela George was cooking at the Dox Grill across the street when a warehouse worker ran in looking for a phone. She said:

"He said someone was in there shooting. He was really scared, like a chicken with its head cut off,"

George also described how police arrived and evacuated the restaurant within five minutes. Police evacuated all buildings within a block of the auto parts and supply store.

Outside the auto parts warehouse, there were seven crosses Thursday morning. One of the crosses representing gunman Salvador Tapia was off by itself, 25 feet from the others, reported Bernie Tafoya of CBS radio station WBBM-AM. The other six were surrounded by flowers.

The victims identified by the Cook County medical examiner's office included brothers Alan Weiner, 50, of Wilmette, and Howard Weiner, 59, of Northbrook. Daniel Weiner, 30, Howard's son, was also killed. Speaking for the Weiner family, Rabbi Brant Rosen said:

"They really want to say that this is a horrible tragedy for them, and they are depending on one another for support."

The other victims were identified as Calvin Ramsey, 44, Robert Taylor, 53, and Juan Valles, 34, all of Chicago. Taylor had been married more than 20 years with four children and served as the deacon of his church, said his sister, Minnie Taylor. She said:

"He was well loved, well liked," she said. "His smile, his kindness, he always had something kind to say."

Helen Bruggeman described the timing of her husband's arrival after being stuck on the Eisenhower Expressway. She said:

"Thank goodness he offered to take my daughter to school," his wife, Helen Bruggeman, told WGN-TV. "He stopped for coffee like he always does. He was on the expressway, it was backed up, and by the time he got there this had all taken place already."

A comment attributed to Salvador Tapia included:

"Do you want me to tie you up, or do you want to die? "

Sanchez responded:

"Tie me up.' I didn't want to die," Sanchez said.

Other details

Tapia's age was given as 36. Police said he was fired from his job about six months earlier.

The case was described as the nation's deadliest workplace shooting since July 8, when Doug Williams shot 14 co-workers, killing six, at a Lockheed Martin aircraft parts plant in Meridian, Miss., before taking his own life. The Chicago area comparison included William D. Baker, 66, who killed four people and himself at a Navistar International engine plant in suburban Melrose Park in February 2001.

Police said a third employee also escaped Tapia's rampage because of a chain of events that included an accident on the Eisenhower Expressway that killed two people.

One employee in the building survived and escaped unharmed after being tied up by Tapia, and police said the employee called 911 and fled. As the employee fled, he warned another employee who was just arriving for work not to go inside.

Robert Bruggeman, one of the company's owners, did not arrive until it was all over.