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Plant shooter took anger management classesSheriff: Girlfriend tried to get shooter to surrender
MERIDIAN, Mississippi (CNN) -- The man who went on a deadly shooting rampage at a Lockheed Martin plant, killing five coworkers and wounding nine before killing himself, went through an anger management program a year and a half ago after problems on the job, the company president said Wednesday. Douglas Williams, 48, made "threatening remarks" against a black co-worker in December 2001, said Dain Hancock, the president of the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. He wouldn't say what the remarks were. After the incident, Williams was ordered to attend a two-week anger management program at a local outpatient mental health facility, Hancock said. Williams was then cleared to return to work. His behavior after the course "changed remarkably," Hancock said, and there was no further trouble until June 12 of this year, the only other time company records document a problem with Williams before his Tuesday shooting spree. On that day, Williams, who wore a white jumpsuit because of his job making parts for the F-22 Raptor, took off his white boot covering and put it on his head. Families of plant employees told CNN that Williams appeared to be imitating a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Hancock said it was "perceived by another employee" to be a racial gesture. That employee registered a complaint, but it was anonymous, so no official report was filed, Hancock said. Supervisors, however, warned Williams to remove his makeshift hat or go home. Williams chose to go home, and spent five or six days off the job, Hancock said. It is unclear whether Williams was paid or not during his "cooling-off period," but Hancock said Williams was told not to return "until he was ready to behave in a way that's compatible with our work standards." Company files don't show Williams had a diagnosed disorder or substance problem, Hancock said. Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie said officials have yet to obtain records from Williams' doctor and toxicology reports from the state crime lab to determine whether he was taking any medication or drugs at the time of the rampage. Complaints from coworkers and their families have led the sheriff's office to investigate whether Williams, a 19-year employee of the plant, might have been driven by a hatred of black people. Eight of the 14 victims, including four of those killed, were black. Sollie pointed out, however, that the "mixed" racial composition of the victims could "weaken the theory of race being a motive." "We're not going to speculate until we conclude our investigation and formally announce what we believe to be the motive," Sollie said. Investigators are trying to determine if the white shooting victims were intended targets or were accidentally in the line of fire. Man who tried to grab gun thrown off 'like a rag doll'Sollie noted possible federal involvement if the shooting is determined to be a hate crime. So far, Sollie said, there is no evidence that Williams had a criminal record or any association with hate groups. "We are working hand in hand with the FBI," he said. If the Justice Department eventually concludes the shooting falls into their scope, "we'll certainly work with them." His home computer files are being examined by the FBI. There is nothing to indicate at this time anyone knew what he was going to do, Sollie said. Police said Williams was attending an employee ethics course on the morning of the shooting. Williams' family members thought he was being targeted for the class. Sollie said that although Lockheed said the training is mandatory, employees are selected for the class at random and "it was his turn to go." "It's my understanding," Sollie said, that Williams wasn't pleased that he had to attend the training. Williams suddenly left the 13-person class without speaking and went to his truck to arm himself, Sollie said. Williams returned to the meeting and opened fire, hitting several workers in the room before proceeding through the rest of the plant, shooting employees, Sollie said. Later, Williams was found dead in the plant from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the torso, according to police. An autopsy was expected to be performed to find out whether Williams was taking medication. During the ordeal, one man tried to take the shotgun out of Williams' hands and was thrown off "like a rag doll," Sollie said. Williams' girlfriend Shirley Price -- also an employee there -- was the last person to see Williams alive, he said. She unsuccessfully tried to get him to surrender. Investigators are speculating Williams might have killed himself because that conversation could have shocked him into reality, Sollie said. Authorities identified the dead as Lynette McCall, 47, of Cuba, Alabama, a black female; Mickey Fitzgerald, 45, of Little Rock, Mississippi, a white male; Sam Cockrell, 46, of Meridian, a black male; Thomas Willis, 57, of Lisman, Alabama, a black male; and Charlie Miller, 58, of Meridian, a black male. Those wounded were DeLois Bailey, 53, of Bailey, Mississippi, a black female; Brad Bynum, 26, of Meridian, a white male; Al Collier, 46, of Meridian, a black male; Brenda Dubose, 52, of Meridian, a black female; Chuck McReynolds, 59, of Lauderdale, Mississippi, a white male; Henry Odom, 54, of Stonewall, Mississippi, a white male; Charles Scott, 62, of Meridian, a black male; Randy Wright, 52, of Bailey, a white male; and Steve Cobb, 43, of Meridian, a white male. Lockheed Martin is one of the major employers in Meridian, Mayor John Smith said. The plant builds pieces of the C-130J Hercules transport and vertical stabilizers for the F-22 Raptor fighter jet. It was the deadliest workplace shooting in the United States since December 26, 2000, when an employee of Edgewater Technology, an Internet firm in Wakefield, Massachusetts, shot and killed seven co-workers. Software tester Michael McDermott, 42, was convicted in the attack and sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to the AP. Correspondents Sean Callebs and Art Harris contributed to this report. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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