Employee guns down workers

Goshen, Ind., a town of roughly 30,000, stopped for a moment Thursday as friends and family's lives were jeopardized in a local plant shooting.\nPurchasing and customer service consultant for Nu-Wood Decorative Millwork plant, Brandon Hurst was in his office when he heard screams and a loud pop.\nEmployee, Robert Wissman, entered the plant around 2:30 p.m. and opened fire according to Goshen mayor, Allan Kauffman. Thirty-five people were initially reported injured. Later reports said that only eight people, including the gunman, were wounded.\n"I was on the phone, and I looked up after I heard gunshots," Hurst said. "We locked the door and hid under the desks. I was in shock. I couldn't believe this was happening."\nPlant manager Greg Oswald was killed in the attack, according to Mayor Kauffman. A SWAT team discovered the gunman in the factory's office area -- dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A shotgun was discovered under the shooter's body.\n\"He was dead when they found him,\" said Elkhart County Sheriff\'s Capt. Julie Dijkstra. The gunman had just been fired or was about to be fired, she said. According to the Goshen police report, the shooter had made threats earlier in the day.\n"I wasn't friends with him, but I knew he was sent home for the day," Hurst said. \nThe Goshen dispatch center received a 911 telephone call from an employee of Nu-Wood Industries informing police of an employee who had opened fire. The police established a perimeter around the building. Goshen is located about 100 miles east of Chicago in Northern Indiana. \n"All I\'m aware of is there was a dispute, and he left the property and came back," Goshen Police Chief Terry Schollian said at a news conference.\nPolice ordered Goshen College students to stay indoors, blocked off the city's industrial park and evacuated nearby plants. Dozens of ambulances were lined up outside the Nu-Wood plant.\n"This was kind of a wake up call that this happens in small communities as well as large ones," Kauffman said. "When you get psychologically unbalanced people with guns in their hands, it's a recipe for disaster."\nState Police Sgt. Brant Klemm described the surviving victims as "walking wounded."\nCarol Ebersole, vice president for corporate development at Goshen General Hospital, said six patients were brought to the emergency room. Two were admitted, and two were discharged. \n"We have a very competent team of doctors, who are committed to dealing with the needs of our community," Ebersole said.\nThe other two injured were transferred to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne.\nThe admitted patients' conditions are listed as "fair." One patient airlifted to Fort Wayne is in stabilized condition.\n"I was very happy with my teams response in this tragic situation," Ebersole said.\nEbersole made reference to the difficulty dealing with a murderous situation in a small town due to the fact that many people know each other.\n"This is a relatively small community so it affects everyone," she said\nThe Nu-Wood Decorative Millwork plant manufactures polyurethane-based products that resemble white pine and are used to decorate homes. According to Dun & Bradstreet, the 35 employee company grossed $3.1 million in sales last year.\nEmployee Brandon Hurst has friends among the employees at Nu-Wood.\n"All my close friends are ok," Hurst said. "We are all friendly. It's not your typical factory. I'm real concerned for everyone's well being."\nThe Associated Press contributed to this story.