5 shot, 2 killed; former Penske employee in custody

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A 60-year-old Temple man, a former employee of Penske Truck Rental, is believed to be the gunman in a deadly shooting Tuesday afternoon at the facility near Kennesaw.

Two people were killed and three critically injured in a shooting at the Penske facility at 3011 Barrett Lakes Boulevard, near the intersection of Chastain Road, according to Officer Joe Hernandez with Cobb County police. The incident took place around 1:30 p.m.

Jesse James Warren is currently being booked into the Cobb County jail, according to the jail web site. His charges have not yet been released.

One of the victims died at WellStar Kennestone Hospital and the other died at the scene, Hernandez said. Three other victims, all male, are in critical condition, according to a hospital spokesman.

The brother of 32-year-old Roberto Gonzalez said his brother is among those in critical condition. Alfredo Gonzalez, of Marietta, said his brother is a supervisor at Penske, and had been shot in the head.

Four Penske employees and one customer were shot, according to Randy Ryerson, Penske spokesman. He declined to release any of the victims' names.

The business will be closed Wednesday, Ryerson said.

Cobb police said all five of the shooting victims had ties to Penske. Hernandez confirmed the shooter had worked for Penske for several years, but he did not know when the shooter's employment had ended.

The male shooter was wearing camouflage, was arrested without incident and is in custody, Hernandez said.

"He was pretty well surrounded," Hernandez said.

The shooter was still on the scene when the 9-1-1 call was made, Hernandez said. The suspect was arrested nearly a mile away, at the intersection of McCollum Parkway and Duncan Road after he left the scene in a red Chevy S-10 truck.

Hernandez believes the weapon, a handgun, has been recovered.

Eyewitness Mike Robertson of Kennesaw said he was behind the suspect when about 15 police cars drove up and pulled the man out of his vehicle.

"It is a former employee," Ryerson said of the shooter.

Mickey Lloyd, Cobb County director of public safety, told the AJC three people were shot in the head.

"This is a terrible thing to happen to people and their families," Lloyd said. "There's a lot of suffering."

Three victims are in critical condition at Kennestone, according to Keith Bowermaster, hospital spokesman.

Four gunshot victims were transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, Bowermaster said.

Penske recently had layoffs, but Ryerson could not confirm if anyone from the Kennesaw facility had lost a job.

Ryerson, based out of the Penske headquarters in Reading, Pa., said the company is extending its deepest concern for the victims' families.

"This a family oriented company," Ryerson said. "It's a very upsetting time."

The Kennesaw facility is a regional office and employs 25, Ryerson said.

No one answered the phone at Warren's home address on N. Highway 113.

Warren wasn’t known to many of the residents on the highway. Residents described it as a rural area where you may not know your neighbor.

Check back to ajc.com for updates.

- Staff writers Ty Tagami, Mary Lou Pickel, Andria Simmons, Ralph Ellis and Sheila Poole contributed to this report