Worker Shot to Death at Edison Plant : Crime: An accountant is killed by a gunman as office co-workers look on. Police want to question the victim’s husband.

A man shot and killed an accountant Wednesday afternoon as she sat at her workstation in a Southern California Edison Co. plant in Rancho Dominguez, authorities said.

As horrified co-workers looked on, Lorraine Chavez, 31, of Montebello was shot several times in the chest by the unidentified gunman who “then calmly walked out the door, got into a vehicle and took off,” sheriff’s Lt. Ben Nottingham said.

Paramedics found Chavez on the floor of the office on East Cashdan Street at 1:50 p.m. She died at 3:04 p.m. at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance.

While a motive for the shooting has yet to be established, sheriff’s investigators sought Chavez’s husband for questioning.

Investigators said they believe the gunman knew Chavez, because he walked past the reception area straight to her work area.

“This person walked up to the victim, he mentioned her name, or made some acknowledging statement and then fired several times,” Nottingham said.

Chavez, who had been with the company since 1987, had reportedly received several threatening phone calls recently, officials said.

The shooting left Edison employees shocked and saddened.

“Everything was very chaotic. It was quite a shock,” said Melanie Savage, a company spokeswoman. “This man just walked in and opened fire on her in the utility substation. That is the last place in the world people expect something like this to happen.

“I don’t think this is something that’s ever happened before (at Edison), but I’m not sure.”

Savage said counseling will be available for those employees who request it.

One co-worker, who declined to give his name, said Chavez “was a very good person. She was kind to everyone.”