UPDATE: OSU Shooting Suspect Dies
COLUMBUS, Ohio - An OSU maintenance employee opened fire on co-workers this morning, killing one and injuring another before turning the gun on himself, university officials said.
Nathaniel Brown, 51, (pictured left) walked into an office area in the OSU Maintenance Building, 2000 Tuttle Park Place, carrying two handguns just before 3:30 AM and began shooting, killing Larry Wallington, 48, and injuring Henry Butler, 60, university police chief Paul Denton said.
Wallington was pronounced dead at the scene and Brown was found nearby, suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, university Vice President for Public Safety Vernon Baisden said.
Brown died later at OSU Medical Center.
Butler is in stable condition at OSU Medical Center, Denton said.
Although the motive for the shooting is still under investigation, Denton says Brown, a custodial worker, was a probationary employee who had recently received a poor performance review.
University President Dr. Gordon Gee, who was traveling, issued a state saying "all of us at Ohio State are shocked and deeply saddened…we have lost a valued member of our University community. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family, as well as with the recovery of the second victim and others involved in this terrible event."
About six employees were in the area where the shooting occurred, Denton said.
Students were not in danger since the location of the scene is not near any residence halls and classes were not being held at that hour, officials said.
The shooting was reported in a call to 911 at 3:32 AM and it took university police officers 2;01 to arrive at the scene, Denton said.
Because the situation was "very fluid" university SWAT officers searched the building floor-by-floor before determining that Brown had acted alone, Denton said.
Classes and university operations are going on normally today, Baisden.
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