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Hartford Distributors shooting

SOLVED2010Hartford Distributors warehouse, Manchester, Connecticut3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · suicide — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On the morning of August 3, 2010, Omar Sheriff Thornton, a 34-year-old employee of Hartford Distributors, a beer and wine wholesale distribution company in Manchester, Connecticut, was called into a disciplinary meeting. Thornton had previously been recorded by a private investigator stealing beer and was implicated in the theft of empty beer kegs. During the meeting with general manager Steven Hollander, supervisor Louis Felder, and union representative Bryan Cirigliano, Thornton was shown video evidence of the theft and given the choice to resign or be fired. He chose to resign and was escorted from the building.

While being escorted out, Thornton asked to get water in the kitchen. There, he retrieved a Ruger SR9 handgun from a lunchbox he had carried into work that day and opened fire. He killed Louis Felder and grazed Steven Hollander before fatally shooting Bryan Cirigliano in a hallway. Thornton then moved into the warehouse, where he shot and killed Douglas Scruton, Victor James, and Craig Pepin. He pursued and killed Francis Fazio and William Ackerman near a trash compactor area. He shot Edwin Kennison in the shoulder, chased him outside, shot Jerome Rosenstein three times as Rosenstein drove past on a golf cart, and then fatally shot Kennison after he fell and pleaded with him. Thornton spared one female coworker, citing her multiple sclerosis, before retreating into an office as police arrived.

In total, eight men were killed and two others were wounded within a span of a few minutes. Police arrived three minutes after the first 911 call and entered the building ten minutes later. Thornton locked himself in an office, called his mother to tell her what he had done, and then called 911, telling the operator that his motive was racism he said he experienced at work, and stating he wished he had killed more people. Shortly after telling police he was coming out, he killed himself with a gunshot to the head. Investigators determined he had fired 26 rounds, including the fatal shot to himself, reloading only once.

Family members and Thornton's girlfriend later said he had complained of racial discrimination at work, including an alleged image of a noose and a racial slur in a bathroom. Company officials, union representatives, and other workers denied these claims, and a police investigation did not find evidence supporting the allegation of racism at the company. The shooting is described as the deadliest workplace shooting in Connecticut history and the third-deadliest mass shooting in the state's history. Separately, two individuals were arrested in connection with receiving property allegedly stolen by Thornton; one was later arrested again after an incident involving reporters.

Key facts

Victims
Craig A. Pepin, Jerome Rosenstein, Steven Hollander, Louis Jeffrey Felder, Douglas A. Scruton, Bryan Cirigliano, Francis Joseph Fazio Sr., William Carl Ackerman Jr., Victor Thomas James, Edwin LeRoy Kennison Jr.
Date
2010
Location
Hartford Distributors warehouse, Manchester, Connecticut
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2010-08-03

    Omar Sheriff Thornton attends a disciplinary meeting at Hartford Distributors in Manchester, Connecticut, and resigns after being shown video evidence of theft.

  2. 2010-08-03

    Thornton shoots and kills Louis Felder and Bryan Cirigliano and wounds Steven Hollander inside the office area.

  3. 2010-08-03

    Thornton shoots and kills Douglas Scruton, Victor James, and Craig Pepin in the warehouse.

  4. 2010-08-03

    Thornton kills Francis Fazio and William Ackerman near a trash compactor area.

  5. 2010-08-03

    Thornton wounds Edwin Kennison, chases him outside, shoots Jerome Rosenstein on a golf cart, and fatally shoots Kennison.

  6. 2010-08-03

    Police arrive at the scene three minutes after the first 911 call and enter the building ten minutes after that call.

  7. 2010-08-03

    Thornton calls his mother and later 911, stating his motive was workplace racism, before killing himself with a gunshot to the head.

  8. 2010-08-17

    Sean Quail is arrested after spraying bug repellent at reporters covering the case; he is charged with reckless endangerment, assault, carrying a dangerous instrument, and breach of peace.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Craig A. Pepin

    VICTIM

    Killed in the shooting, age 60.

    citation on file

  • Jerome Rosenstein

    VICTIM

    Wounded in the shooting while driving a golf cart, age 77.

    citation on file

  • Steven Hollander

    VICTIM

    General manager wounded in the shooting, age 50.

    citation on file

  • Sean Quail

    CHARGED

    Arrested for allegedly receiving stolen property and later charged with reckless endangerment, assault, carrying a dangerous instrument, and breach of peace after an incident involving reporters.

    citation on file

  • Louis Jeffrey Felder

    VICTIM

    Supervisor killed in the shooting, age 50.

    citation on file

  • Douglas A. Scruton

    VICTIM

    Killed in the shooting, age 56.

    citation on file

  • Christy Quail

    CHARGED

    Arrested for allegedly receiving property stolen by Thornton.

    citation on file

  • Bryan Cirigliano

    VICTIM

    Union representative killed in the shooting, age 51.

    citation on file

  • Francis Joseph Fazio Sr.

    VICTIM

    Killed in the shooting, age 57.

    citation on file

  • William Carl Ackerman Jr.

    VICTIM

    Killed in the shooting, age 51.

    citation on file

  • Victor Thomas James

    VICTIM

    Killed in the shooting, age 60.

    citation on file

  • Omar Sheriff Thornton

    CONVICTED

    Identified by police and multiple 911 callers as the shooter; died by suicide at the scene after killing eight coworkers and wounding two others.

    citation on file

  • Edwin LeRoy Kennison Jr.

    VICTIM

    Wounded and then fatally shot in the shooting, age 49.

    citation on file

Places

Hartford Distributors warehouse, Manchester, Connecticut

41.7979, -72.5701

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On August 3, 2010, a former employee shot and killed eight coworkers and wounded two others at a Hartford Distributors beer warehouse in Manchester, Connecticut, before killing himself as police closed in.
Where did the shooting happen?
Hartford Distributors warehouse, Manchester, Connecticut.
Who was convicted?
Omar Sheriff Thornton (Identified by police and multiple 911 callers as the shooter; died by suicide at the scene after killing eight coworkers and wounding two others.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. Hartford Distributors shootingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — Reutersnews · Reuters · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — ABC Newsnews · ABC News · 2026-07-07
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