The supervisor who was shot and killed at Trans-Coil International Thursday evening was gunned down in his office during a meeting with a disgruntled employee who then killed himself, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said Friday.
George Hites, 58, of Milwaukee was shot multiple times by Thaiv Xiong, 23, of Milwaukee about 6 p.m. Thursday at the northwest side manufacturing plant at 7878 N. 86th St.
But police don't yet know what sparked Xiong to get a handgun and kill Hites.
"We have the classic disgruntled employee-immediate supervisor circumstance where sadly, for reasons that are best known to the deceased employee, he developed a grudge against his boss and acted out in a violent way that resulted in that man's death," Flynn said.
Flynn did not disclose what the specific motivation was for the shooting, but said the shooter acted alone and did not target anyone else.
"All of our information indicates this was a single individual with a single set of grievances who for reasons locked in his mind felt compelled to use violence to rectify his grievances," Flynn said.
"We have no indication that anybody had the slightest idea this individual had violent tendencies toward his boss. He was already at work, and the meeting with his boss was something that wouldn't seem to be out of the ordinary," Flynn said.
None of his colleagues had received any information or perceived any problems that would lead them to think Xiong would become violent, Flynn said.
"They knew he was unhappy. The boss knew he was unhappy, but there were no previous indications that violence was going to be an outcome," Flynn said.
Meanwhile, Steven Copp, TCI president and CEO, said Friday morning that counselors were at the plant to meet with employees throughout the day in an effort to help them cope with the workplace shooting.
"Our immediate focus right now is on our employees and quite frankly the families of the individuals that died yesterday. That's our first priority," Copp said Friday. "Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to the two families most affected." Police said Hites was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Xiong was found dead inside the plant of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The plant, in the Granville Woods Business Center south of W. Bradley Road, shut down operations after the shooting.
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