WOODHAVEN, Mich. – A Ford line worker who was inside the Woodhaven Stamping Plant on Friday morning when a man shot and killed himself said he was told to run out of the plant.
The plant employee, who goes by Leonard, said he believes the man who shot himself was a part-time employee. Leonard said he saw the man get sent home early. He described the tense moments when his supervisor told him to run out of the plant.
"This morning I was on the line getting everything ready to go, and then one of the part-timers came in late. Instead of putting in the work, it looked to me like he was under the influence or something. They sent him home. They walked him out," said Leonard. "About an hour and 1/2 later my chairman comes running through. He tells me to drop everything I'm doing, 'Run as fast as you can, there's a shooter in the plant!' So I'm just saying, 'What the hell? What the hell is going on?' He said, 'Run Lenny, run!'"
Watch Leonard's interview above.
Disgruntled employee shot himself, police said
Police said it was a disgruntled employee who showed up at the plant Friday morning armed with a gun. Woodhaven Deputy Chief of Police Scott Fraczek said the man entered the building with a gun to resolve some sort of labor relation issue.
"As officers approached he pulled out the gun and killed himself," said Fraczek.
He did not fire the weapon at anyone else and no other shots were fired. No other injuries were reported.
Fraczek said it's unclear what the labor dispute was.
However, the union chairman's family told Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit the employee was angry about being written up for being late multiple times. The chairman and others tried to talk him down as he was waving around his gun.
Woodhaven later dentified the gunman as 21-year-old Jacoby Hennings, of Harper Woods. Police said had been working at the plant part-time since March. It was a temporary position, police said.
The building was evacuated and secured by police. Michigan State Police also responded with bomb squad because the man who shot himself also dropped a package inside the plant. It was determined not to be a threat.
Leonard was visibly shaken as he and his coworkers who were evacuated out of the building stood waiting to learn when they would be able to go home.
"I'm very torn up right now. I'm scared. I'm shaking. My chest is hurting. I just want to be home with my family. That's the only thing that's going through my mind, being home with my family," he said.
He said when he was running out of the plant he was telling everyone he saw to do the same.
"I started running and I'm telling everybody when I'm running out the door, everyone behind me, 'Run! Run! There's a gunner. There's a guy with a gun.' Then about 15 minutes later I heard that it was the part-timer who got sent home early who was the shooter," he said.
'I didn't want to die'
Leonard said he was thinking about his own family when he was rushing out of the plant.
"I didn't want to die. It's not my time. I got grandkids and everything, and I didn't want to die," he said.
He's worked at the plant for two decades and never felt unsafe until now.
"Everybody is hugging each other. Everyone is crying. Everyone can't understand how this could happen at our plant. I've been here 23 years and I have never felt unsafe in this plant. Now, I just don't know," he said.
Buses were being brought in to help employees get to their vehicles and go home.
Buses are being brought in now for the employees at the Woodhaven Ford Stamping Plant. #Breakingnews pic.twitter.com/rhsIy2CRUU
— Koco (@KocoMcAboy) October 20, 2017
Ford Motor Company released this statement:
"Employees at Woodhaven Stamping Plant are safe after they were evacuated when a worker pulled a gun at the plant and shot himself. Woodhaven Police are on the scene."
The plant is located on West Road near I-75.
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