A 44-year-old man armed with two powerful handguns walked into two stock brokerage offices in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday afternoon, exchanged pleasantries with former colleagues, and then began shooting. Nine people were killed, and 12 others injured.
The suspect, Mr Mark O. Barton, shot himself in his van when police surrounded him at a petrol station hours later.
As the story unfolded, three people were found dead in a residential area in the nearby suburb of Eagle's Landing. Police later confirmed that the dead were Mr Barton's current wife and his two children.
The shootings touched off a massive manhunt, bringing much of the city to a standstill. Some office workers in the complex hid under their desks for at least three hours, while others fled on foot. Mr Barton left the Piedmont Center by breaking a window.
"This is a tragedy for our city," said Mayor Bill Campbell. "We ask for prayers for the families of those killed and wounded. He said Vice President Al Gore had offered the assistance of the FBI and the US Justice Department.
All-Tech Trading, a day trading firm based in New Jersey, has a branch office in Atlanta. It provides office space and computers for people to day trade, a growing field. Day traders buy and sell stocks at a fierce pace, often holding stocks for minutes.
A spokesman for All Tech said Mr Barton had not traded at the firm's offices for three months, and had sustained losses. Witnesses said Mr Barton spoke with the office manager before he began shooting, commenting that the stock market was down. At one point yesterday, the DOW Jones average plunged 250 points.
According to Mayor Campbell, Mr Barton killed five people in the 3525 building, then walked across the street to the 3500 building, where he killed four people. Of the 12 people injured, seven had gunshot wounds, and the others were injured trying to escape. Police said Mr Barton used a 9mm handgun and a .45 calibre revolver.
"There was an awful lot of blood everywhere," an eyewitness, Mr Jim Cabrer, told reporters. "I heard screams, then I saw men lying in a pool of blood."
Mr Cabrer said he attempted to administer to one man, and was asked by another man shot in the face to contact his wife.
NBC News reported that on March 26th, 1994, a Mr Mark O. Barton was considered a suspect in the killing of his former wife.