Tony DeFrances has been identified as the man who allegedly shot his CEO in Chicago’s Bank of America building on Thursday.
Police say that the alleged shooter critically wounded the CEO of Arrowstream, Steven LaVoie, before turning the gun on himself.
DeFrances is listed on his LinkedIn as being the CTO and SVP IT at Arrowstream, and having worked there since January 2001, just a short time after the company was started.
DeFrances, 59, was upset because he had recently been demoted, reportedly losing his position as CTO.
Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said DeFrances pulled a gun after entering the 17th-floor office to privately meet with his CEO.
There was a struggle for the gun, and the CEO was shot in his head and abdomen before the gunman fatally shot himself, McCarthy said.
McCarthy said the company was downsizing and “a number of people,” including the alleged shooter, were being demoted.
“Apparently he was despondent over the fact that he got demoted,” McCarthy said.
About 10 people were in the office at the time, McCarthy said. No other injuries were reported.
Chicago police stand outside a downtown high-rise office building following a shooting inside the building, Thursday, July 31, 2014. Police said a demoted worker shot and critically injured his company’s CEO before fatally shooting himself. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Tony DeFrances. (LinkedIn)
Steven LaVoie. (Twitter)
The office is in the Bank of America building, which is two blocks from the Willis Tower, the country’s second-tallest skyscraper, and a block from the Chicago Board of Trade and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
Officers were called to the scene around 9:50 a.m. As police cordoned off the immediate area outside the building, several SWAT team members and other officers rushed inside, where they found two men on the floor, both of them shot.
A source told the Chicago Tribune that LaVoie and DeFrances were friends and co-workers for many years. “They had been friends for years – a congenial relationship between two friends,” the source said.
George Volland, who also works in the city, added that DeFrances “wasn’t a monster.”
“I could tell he threw himself into his work,” he told told DNAinfo, noting that DeFrances took the early train in and the late train home.
DeFrances had a critical role at the company, according to the company’s website.
“DeFrances has brought the vision of total supply chain connectivity and collaboration to life through technology. In developing ArrowStream’s proprietary supply chain technology, he has enabled foodservice and grocery trading partners to achieve an unprecedented level of synchronization and information sharing that delivers measurable cost savings and revenue generating opportunities,” it says.
“The results of DeFrances’ development have helped to facilitate ArrowStream’s continued profitability, including a 65 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the last three years and over $85M in revenue in 2008.”
Like LaVoie, DeFrances has a wife and three kids.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Steven LaVoie, Arrowstream CEO, ID'd as Victim in Chicago Bank of America Shooting (+Photos)
