Fired Worker Kills 1, Seriously Wounds Another at San Diego Plant : Violence: Shootings occur after a hearing on his dismissal by General Dynamics. Slain man was 25-year-old human resources counselor.

A recently fired General Dynamics worker shot a company labor representative to death and critically wounded a supervisor Friday afternoon after a hearing on his dismissal at the company’s sprawling Convair Division plant, police said.

Robert Earl Mack, 42, a machinist for the aerospace company since 1968, was arrested after a brief standoff at an employment office in the plant near San Diego’s Lindbergh Field.

Hundreds of terrified employees who had just finished the day shift fled for cover as armed police and security officers converged on an office where the gunman ran after shooting his former co-workers, witnesses said.

“It was very terrifying,” said Devin Price, a paramedic who worked on one of the victims as police a few feet away trained their guns on Mack and talked him into surrendering. “I cannot stress enough how terrifying it was. It was utter chaos in there.”

The dead man was identified as Michael Konz, 25, a human resources counselor. Konz died at UC San Diego Medical Center, where the second victim, 52-year-old James English, was in critical condition after surgery with a gunshot wound to the head, according to hospital and General Dynamics officials.

English had been Mack’s supervisor before Mack, a divorced father of three, was fired as a missile assembler Jan. 15 for unsatisfactory attendance, General Dynamics officials said. Mack went to a “routine” grievance hearing on his dismissal that included a union representative, English and Konz, who represented the company on labor matters, officials said.

Shortly after the hearing ended, police said, Mack drew a handgun and opened fire, hitting both Konz and English in the back of the head. The shooting took place at about 2:30 p.m. in front of numerous employees in a courtyard outside the building, police said.

Mack took refuge in an office and surrendered about 2:55 p.m., according to authorities.

Kay Barker, a stock room employee, said she had just punched out when she heard the screams of fellow employees.

“People came out screaming and yelling,” Barker said. “They were so scared. The employees have been talking among ourselves because we were afraid something like this would happen because there is so much unemployment and layoffs at General Dynamics.”

The shooting comes during a time of intense uncertainty and tension at General Dynamics because of continuing layoffs and rumors of tougher times ahead at three San Diego divisions with about 16,000 workers.

The Convair Division, which makes the Air Force Advanced Cruise Missile and fuselages for commercial airliners, has been hit in recent months by the announcement of 500 layoffs attributed to a slowdown in the jet airliner industry and Defense Department cutbacks.

Konz, a 1988 Arizona State University graduate, was recruited by General Dynamics out of college for a job as a human relations manager, according to his mother, Mary, who lives in Phoenix. Konz, the youngest of three children, was taking night classes in law at the University of San Diego, she said.

“He had such a wonderful future ahead of him,” said Mary Konz. “He knew exactly what he wanted and he never wanted to be second best. Our older son was happy getting B’s. Not Michael. He wanted to be at the very top.”

Across the street from English’s home Friday, Bob Helt, a neighbor and fellow Convair worker, described his wounded co-worker as “a hell of a guy, a victim of circumstances.”

“This situation is just not understandable to all of us,” Helt said.

Earlier, Helt was there as Charlotte English learned of her husband’s injury in a call from Convair officials. He stood outside on the street and saw her off as the Englishes’ 24-year-old son, James Jr., drove his mother to the hospital in the family van.

“She just kept asking what his condition was. I told her the best thing we can do right now is be calm and pray that Jim has a good recovery,” he said. “That’s all we all can do.”

At Mack’s small house in Southeast San Diego, a woman who answered the door and said she was his girlfriend acknowledged that Mack had been “upset about his job.” But she declined to identify herself or answer more questions.

In a similar incident here last June, a technician laid off from his job at the Elgar Corp. shot to death two executives at the electronics firm.