Six People Shot in Concord Industrial Park; Man Sought

Six people were shot and seriously wounded Friday night in the office of an industrial park and police issued an all-points bulletin for a heavy-set man, believed to be a security guard, who was driving a 1978 Cadillac.

Three of the victims were taken to Mt. Diablo Hospital in Concord and the other three to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. Authorities said they included three men and three women.

Witnesses told police that the man came into the office of MicroPure, a water purifying company, muttering under his breath that he was unhappy with his job. He suddenly pulled out a weapon and started shooting.

“He just drove up in the Cadillac (went in the building) and started firing,” said an employee who answered the phone at MicroPure.

One man at MicroPure said he recognized the man as a security guard for the industrial park, located near California 24 near the Concord Naval Weapons Center, scene of daily demonstrations by opponents of U.S. Central American policy.

Concord Police, the California Highway Patrol and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department combined forces to investigate the shootings and search for the suspect.

A spokeswoman at Mt. Diablo Hospital said that one woman was wounded in the right shoulder and one man in the hip. The most seriously wounded man was hit in the chest and underwent surgery.

A spokeswoman said two of the victims at John Muir Hospital were in serious condition and were undergoing surgery late Friday night. She said one was a 19-year-old man with an abdomen wound and the other was a 17-year-old woman with wounds in the abdomen and chest.

The third victim at John Muir was a 26-year-old woman with a superficial back wound. She was reported in fair condition.