Man Fatally Shoots Worker, Then Himself

A former printing business employee shot a worker to death Tuesday, then set fire to rolls of paper and an office at the Visalia plant before fatally shooting himself, authorities said.

Police equipped with oxygen tanks entered the smoke-filled PrintXCel plant minutes after the 7:44 a.m. emergency call, and found the two men dead, Visalia Police Sgt. Michelle Figueroa said.

John Gardner, 45, shot press operator Jose Manriquez, 31, multiple times before killing himself with a single shot to the head, Figueroa said.

Figueroa said that police were still determining the nature of the relationship between the two men and had not established a motive for the shooting.

The Denver-based printing business, where Manriquez worked for the last eight years, last employed Gardner in 1999. It was unclear whether Gardner left voluntarily.

Company officials in Visalia refused to comment Tuesday.

Workers at the plant, which produces mailing products, called 911 to report that a man had entered the premises and fired six shots.

As Gardner set fires that triggered the automatic sprinkler system, employees fled the building and waited for police, officials said.

The SWAT team that first cleared the wet and smoky building found a revolver and a semi-automatic pistol near Gardner’s body, beside an exit door, Figueroa said.

Firefighters entered only after police determined that there was no threat of danger. There was extensive smoke and water damage to the plant, officials said.