Seven Gunned Down In Massachusetts Office

Shooter Arrested, Identified

WAKEFIELD, Mass., Updated 4:53 p.m. EST December 26, 2000 -- Seven people were shot and killed just before noon at Edgewater Technology, housed in an office building on Foundry Street in Wakefield, Mass.

WORKPLACE SHOOTINGS: Major workplace shootings before Tuesday's killing of seven people at Edgewater Technology in Wakefield, Mass.: Nov. 2, 1999: Employee Byran Uyesugi opens fire at a Xerox Corp. office in Honolulu, Hawaii, killing seven before fleeing in a company van. He surrendered after five-hour standoff with police and was later convicted and sentenced to life without parole. Aug. 5, 1999: Former employee Alan Eugene Miller shoots two people to death at a construction supply company where he worked in Pelham, Ala.,, and then kills third at business where he formerly worked. Miller was later convicted and sentenced to death. July 29, 1999: Nine people killed and 13 wounded at two Atlanta, Ga., brokerage offices. Gunman Mark Barton, a former day trader who had reportedly lost more than $400,000 on his investments, later commits suicide. March 6, 1998: Former accountant for the Connecticut Lottery Corp., Matthew Beck, 35, fatally shoots four lottery senior executives and then kills himself. Dec. 18, 1997: Arturo Reyes Torres, 43, kills four former co-workers at maintenance yard in Orange, Calif., and is shot to death by police. Sept. 15, 1997: Fired assembly line worker Arthur H. Wise, 43, allegedly opens fire at Aiken, S.C., parts plant, killing four and wounding three others. His trial is scheduled to begin in January. April 3, 1995: James Simpson, 28, walks into office of his former employer, Walter Rossler Co., a refinery inspection company, in Corpus Christi, Texas, and shoots five workers before shooting himself to death. Nov. 14, 1991: Fired postal worker Thomas McIlvane kills four supervisors and wounds five workers at the Royal Oak, Mich., post office, then kills himself. June 18, 1990: James Edward "Pop" Pough kills nine and wounds four others at Jacksonville, Fla., office of General Motors Acceptance Corp., a car financing company, before killing himself.

In a press conference, Middlesex County assistant district attorney John McEvoy confirmed that one shooter acted alone. A 42-year-old man, Michael McDermott, has been arrested. He will be arraigned Wednesday on seven counts of murder.

Wakefield police subdued the shooter while he was still armed. McDermott had an AK-47, a shotgun and a semi-automatic handgun. All were fully loaded.

"He was sitting in the lobby when (Wakefield police) arrived, heavily armed," John McEvoy said.

McEvoy said that McDermott was an employee of the company who had reported for work Tuesday morning. McEvoy would only say that the shooting was "workplace related," but refused to comment further on a motive.

According to McEvoy, the office contained "50, 60, maybe 70 people." McEvoy refused to divulge the names of the seven victims, all of whom were killed by gunshot wounds.

Authorites are not releasing the identities of the seven people who were killed. All of the people shot during the massacre died.

According to the company's Web site, Edgewater is an Internet strategy consulting firm with headquarters in Wakefield and offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Minnesota and New Hampshire.

The Harvard Mills office complex, which also houses other businesses, was evacuated after the shooting. The building was searched, but no other gunmen were found.

Frank Harrington, a contract consultant for the company, said that he was inside the building at the time of the shooting.

Harrington said that he heard eight to 10 shots.

He said that he saw one body covered with a blanket. "One of the bodies is right inside the lobby entrance," he said.

A sheet was hung in the doorway, blocking the view from outside.

Nancy Pecjo, a developer with the company, said 30 to 40 employees worked at the Wakefield office. She did not know who had been shot.

"It's a great company, a wonderful company," she said, adding that she didn't know of anyone who'd been fired recently or was disgruntled.

"It's a small company, you get to know everybody there," she said. "When something like this happens it's very distressing."

Related Information:

• Know The Potential Signs Of Workplace Violence

Copyright 2001 by Channel 4000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.