Fired refugee kills one, himself at plant

ROANOKE, Va. — A refugee from Kenya killed a former co-worker, wounded three others and then killed himself Tuesday in a workplace shooting that authorities are still trying to unravel in Virginia, police said.

Getachew Fekede, 53, had entered the U.S. through a refugee immigration program and worked for the rail-car manufacturer FreightCar America before being fired in March when he stopped showing up for work, Roanoke Police Chief Tim Jones told reporters. A neighbor, Clarence Jones, said Fekede quit his job over being harassed by a co-worker.

Police said Fekede rode a bicycle to the plant near downtown and somehow entered its paint shop. Officers received a call of shots fired at 6:02 a.m. and arrived two minutes later. But by that time, Fekede had fired 10 rounds from a 9 mm pistol, said Jones, the police chief.

One person died at the scene, and two others suffered wounds to their “lower extremities,” the chief said. A bullet grazed a third person’s chest. Fekede then killed himself, police said.

AP/The Roanoke Times/HEATHER ROUSSEAU Roanoke Sheriff’s Office SWAT team members respond to a shooting at FreightCar America in Roanoke, Va., on Tuesday morning.