NEWS: Six Dead in Shooting at Kansas City ConAgra Plant, page 1

An employee of ConAgra Foods in Kansas City, KS, identified as Elijah Brown, age 21, walked into the plant's cafeteria with two handguns around 5pm local time Friday and opened fire. The gunman killed five people before killing himself. Two other people were injured; one of the three originally listed as injured died of their injuries Saturday.
Witnesses report it seemed the gunman targeted certain employees, and he was heard telling some present to leave. The shooting came following a dispute between the man and several employees earlier in the week.

CNN
A shooter at a meatpacking plant killed three people and wounded three others Friday afternoon before committing suicide, police said.

Deputy police chief Col. Sam Breshears corrected earlier reports from police that placed the number of dead as high as seven at the ConAgra Foods Inc. plant in Kansas City, Kansas.

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Employees at the plant describe Brown as "strange," saying "He paced, he talked to himself, he got bothered over teasing that wouldn't faze other people."

As I understand it, the workers at these plants are under tremendous pressue to increase their productivity. And the Mad Cow news cannot be helping the meat packing business. If revenue goes down, it's not long before costs are brought into line; and personnel in the largest line item of most budgets. No matter what the reason, killing yourself, much less your co-workers, is not an answer.

This is not a very good way to begin the holiday weekend in the U.S.

Related News Stories:
Reuters

[edit on 3-7-2004 by Banshee]