Intern Working First Day on the Job Among 5 Killed in Illinois Mass Shooting

An intern who had started his first day at work was among five people shot dead in a mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois, on Feb. 15.

The identity of the five victims were revealed by the Aurora Police Department on Saturday.

The suspect, who was shot dead by police, was later identified as 45-year-old Gary Martin. Aurora police chief Kristen Ziman said he was being let go by the Henry Pratt Company, where he opened fire, according to a press conference.

Gary Martin is pictured in Oswego, Ill., on Feb. 16, 2019. (Aurora Police Department/Handout/Reuters)

Northern Illinois University Victims

Trevor Wehner, from Dekalb, Illinois, was working at the firm as an intern, and it was his first day on the job when he died.

Northern Illinois University president Dr. Lisa C. Freeman said in a statement that Wehner, a student at the college, was shot and killed. He was expected to graduate in May with a degree in human resource management.

A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Clayton Parks, was also shot dead. He was a human resources manager at the firm.

“It is with deep sadness that I write today to share that NIU student Trevor Wehner and alumnus Clay Parks were killed yesterday afternoon in the workplace shooting at Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora, IL.,“ said the press release. ”Trevor was from Sheridan, IL, and expected to graduate in May with a degree in Human Resource Management. Friday was his first day as an intern at Henry Pratt. Clay was a 2014 graduate of the College of Business and worked as a human resources manager.”

Parks’s wife wrote on Facebook that “every time I’ve closed my eyes over the last twelve hours, I’ve opened them hoping to wake from a terrible dream, but that’s not the case. I’m living my worst nightmare.”

“My husband, my love, my best friend, and the incredible father of our sweet son was taken from us yesterday in the shooting in Aurora, and I am devastated,” she wrote.

“It is with profound sadness that I am writing to you regarding the tragic shooting that took place yesterday at our Henry Pratt facility in Aurora, Illinois,“ Hall said in the letter. ”Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones, the first responders, the Aurora community and the entire Mueller family during this extremely difficult time.”

Other Victims

Russell Beyer, who worked as a mold operator from Yorkville, Illinois, also was shot and killed on Friday, according to a letter from Scott Hall, the CEO of Mueller Water Products, which owned the Henry Pratt Co.

Beyer worked for Henry Pratt for at least 20 years and was a union chairman, Hall noted.

Vicente Juarez from Oswego, Illinois, worked in the stockroom and was also a forklift operator.

He started working at the company in 2006, Hall said.

ABC7 reported that Juarez was outside the meeting where the gunman was being fired.

Neighbor Julie Zigman described Juarez as “the patriarch of the family” and added that “everyone looked to him.”

Plant manager Josh Pinkard, who was the plant manager, was also shot and killed in the attack, according to Hall.

He joined the firm 13 years ago at an Alabama facility before moving to Illinois last year, the letter said.

“He loved God, his family and Mississippi State sports,” a cousin wrote about him, ABC7 reported.

Other details about the case are not clear.