Two Wounded in Rampage Are Recovering

The two men wounded in Thursday’s shooting rampage that started at a Caltrans maintenance yard are recuperating, hospital officials and family members said Sunday.

One of the wounded men, Reginald T. Tennyson, 54, has been released from the hospital. Police Officer John Warde, 33, who was shot in the stomach, remained hospitalized in stable condition.

Five people, including gunman Arturo Reyes Torres, 41, were killed in Thursday’s rampage, Orange County’s worst case of workplace violence in more than two decades.

Warde underwent 2 1/2 hours of surgery Thursday at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, hospital officials said. He had been struck in the side by a bullet that penetrated his bulletproof vest.

“His family is with him,” said Claudia Martin, hospital administrative supervisor. “He should be home in a couple of weeks.”

Orange Police Sgt. Jim Pyne said of Warde: “He is doing much better. He’s been sitting up in his chair. We are hoping for a full recovery.”

The Police Department is offering counseling services for its employees, Pyne said, in the wake of Thursday’s shooting.

Tennyson went home Saturday night and was recuperating from his injuries and shock from the rampage, his son Chris said. Tennyson, who was wounded in the left ankle, is a Caltrans equipment operator and 26-year veteran of the department.

Thursday’s shooting spree began shortly after 3 p.m. at the California Department of Transportation facility on North Batavia Street in an industrial part of Orange.

Police say Torres walked onto the property and shot his former boss, Hal Bierlein, 51, of Orange, who was sitting in a car in the parking lot.

Officials said Torres had been fired recently after being accused of stealing scrap metal worth $106.50.

After firing at Bierlein, police said, Torres fired more than 300 rounds, killing Caltrans employees Wayne A. Bowers, 43, of Orange; Michael J. Kelley, 49, of Fullerton; and Paul E. White, 30, of Lakewood.

Torres was driving away when the first police officer arrived on the scene. Torres fired at the officer, missing, and attempted to flee in a brown 1977 Mercedes-Benz.

At Batavia and West Taft Avenue, the gunman’s path was blocked by an oncoming motorist. A gun battle then broke out between Torres and police officers, including Warde.

On Sunday, Caltrans spokesman Albert Miranda said the agency was still working out details of memorial ceremonies this week for the slain employees.

The state also is considering holding a service to honor the dead workers, he said, and the California Highway Patrol has offered escorts for the men’s funerals.

As of Sunday, Miranda said, he had not heard from any of the victims’ family members.

“We are telling them that we are there to assist them,” he said.

Also, counseling services are being offered to Caltrans employees.