Kraft Factory Murder Suspect Had Prior Work Disputes
KYW Newsradio Team Coverage --
Philadelphia police have identified the victims of last night's deadly shooting at the Kraft Foods plant on Roosevelt Boulevard and offered a possible motive.
KYW's Robin Culverwell reports that according to homicide captain James Clark, an argument between the accused and the victims preceded the shooting:
"This argument was taken before their supervisor, who made the determination that because of this altercation and a lot of prior altercations involving the shooter, that she would be suspended and she would be taken and escorted from the plant -- which security did."
At that point, police say, Yvonne Hiller retrieved a .357-magnum handgun from her car, drove to the front gate of the plant, forced her way past security at gunpoint, then went into the third-floor mixing area and shot three co-workers, killing two.
The dead are identified as 47-year-old Tanya Wilson, of the 3800 block of North Franklin Street, and 36-year-old LaTonya Brown, of the 1100 block of West Poplar.
The wounded worker, Bryant Dalton, of the 5200 block of Kershaw, was listed in critical but stable condition at Jefferson Hospital (see previous stories).
Police credit a mechanic at the plant with helping alert others to what was going on, perhaps saving lives.
Chief inspector Joseph Sullivan (right):
"The mechanic did a phenomenal job in alerting as many employees as possible to get out of the building. At great peril to himself, he followed Hiller and was able to see her enter the building."
Investigators say he was shot at but not hit, as was Hiller's manager.
After the shootings, Hiller locked herself in a second-floor office and made several phone calls, including to 911. Police say a 911 corporal talked her into surrendering.
Hiller is now charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of aggravated assault -- with more charges likely. Police say she had a permit to carry the gun.
KYW's John McDevitt reports that many neighbors who lived along the same block of Northeast Philadelphia as the alleged shooter couldn't believe it was the "friendly" lady from up the street.
KYW's Steve Tawa spoke with a local sociologist and a psychologist who are experts in mass shootings in the workplace.
Sociology professor Maria Kefalas (right), director of the Institute for Violence Research and Prevention at St. Joseph's University, says rampage shooters believe that doing a horrific act resolves a situation in which they lose control:
"In these moments, people believe they can use the violence to magically fix problems."
She says these kind of violent workplace incidents are more prevalent in the US because of one simple fact:
"That has to do with our culture and the access to guns."
Eric Zillmer, a psychology professor at Drexel University, says women shooters, at least statistically, are a rarity. He says that nearly all homicides in workplaces involve handguns, and men have had more access to handguns.
