Penske office shooting

On the afternoon of January 12, 2010, a shooting occurred at a Penske truck rental business in Kennesaw, Georgia. A gunman — identified by police as Jesse James Warren, a 60-year-old former employee — entered the facility wearing camouflage and opened fire with a 9mm handgun, shooting five people, including at least three who were shot in the head. Four of the victims were Penske employees; the fifth was a customer. Two victims, Van Springer, 59, and Jaider Marulanda, 43, died at the scene. A third victim, Roberto Gonzalez, 31, died at WellStar Kennestone Hospital the following day. Two other victims, Joshua Holbrook and Zachariah Werner, were shot multiple times and survived initially but were left paralyzed. Werner later died on July 7, 2013, at age 39, from complications of his injuries.

Warren was arrested less than a mile from the scene after leaving in a red Chevrolet S-10 truck. Police recovered ammunition and two firearms on him at the time of arrest, and additional ammunition and more than ten firearms at his home. Warren had worked as a truck mechanic at the facility from June 2005 until his firing in July 2009, after which he faced financial difficulties. He had reportedly threatened other employees following his termination and complained that he had lost his job to Hispanic workers. A former coworker described him as unsociable and unable to focus on his work. Prior to the shooting, victim Van Springer had told his wife that Warren had "some issues."

Warren held delusional beliefs, including that Penske had stolen $500 million from him, which he believed had been given to him by the U.S. military for inventing Wi-Fi. He also believed churches and religion were trying to kill him and held delusions that he was the Son of God and that his thoughts were being broadcast. In 2009, Penske had sent Warren to a psychiatrist after he made comments to a coworker about the company stealing money and being involved in computer hacking; he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at that time but was allowed to return to work before eventually being fired.

Warren was charged with 16 counts, including three counts each of malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated battery, and five counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He pleaded not guilty and was denied bond. Prosecutors sought the death penalty, but the trial, initially scheduled for May 27, 2013, was postponed to determine his mental competency. Warren refused anti-psychotic medication, believing his attorneys and doctors were working against him. A 2014 court order to forcibly medicate him was overturned by the Georgia Supreme Court for insufficient justification given his age and health. Warren was ultimately declared incompetent to stand trial and was indefinitely committed to a mental institution in 2017.

Survivors and victims' families pursued civil litigation. Zachariah Werner filed a $20 million lawsuit in 2011 against Penske-related businesses and Warren, alleging prior warnings about Warren's threats had been ignored. Joshua Holbrook and the widow of another victim also filed separate lawsuits alleging the company was aware of death threats made by Warren.