Police say the motive behind the Clinton Township workplace shooting was bullying.
Shots were fired by an employee. The owner was killed. Another worker, the alleged bully is seriously injured.
The gunman is in custody and did give a statement to police.
The numbers are staggering: 400 to 500 workplace killings happen every year. But can bullying lead to a deadly shooting among adults?
It happened at reliable fence, a small business with only 7 employees.
Police say the bad blood percolated for some time, and boiled over Tuesday morning when one worker had enough, and came in with a gun.
“As we talked with employees, this is an ongoing problem with this employee who was shot twice and is still alive. He was aggressive toward other employees. Sort of for lack of a better term a bully,” says Clinton Township Police Chief Fred Posavetz.
The gunman is 24. The handgun was recovered at the scene.
Experts say our work life is a big part of our everyday life.
“We spend a third of our lives at work. We see more of our co-workers than we see of our own kids or than we see of our closest friends,” says psychiatrist Dr. Gerald Shiener.
The doctor also says stress, drama caused by an aggressive employee in a small setting could trigger a deadly response.
“People can push you and cut into your opportunity to make money, steal your customers, make fun of you in public,” says Dr. Shiener.
Police say their investigation found the frustration of the gunman also caused him to shoot the owner, 61-year-old Tom Badke once in the head. He was killed.
“In smaller companies or in companies where there’s a lot of cronyism or when someone has it in with the boss, they’ll put up with a lot of this behavior. Sometimes the boss is afraid of the bully,” says Dr. Shiener.
The gunman is locked up and expected to be charged with first-degree premeditated murder, life without parole if convicted.
We’re not using his name until he’s formally charged.
