2 dead, 2 injured after ex-employee opens fire inside Katy-area business

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A disgruntled former employee with a shotgun killed one person and injured two others Wednesday morning before shooting himself inside Knight Transportation in the 20400 block of Franz Road in west Harris County, officials said.

Family members identified the victim as Mike Dawid.

Emergency crews were called just before 9 a.m. on reports of a man with a shotgun inside the building. Officials said the man, identified as Marion Guy Williams, 65, went in and fired one shot, described as a "warning shot," into a break room.

"He said something about 'You ruined my life,' then fired a round through the building, then started shooting," Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman said during a news conference Wednesday. "Upon entering the facility we found that one employee had been shot and killed, another injured, and ultimately the suspect took his own life a short distance away in the same facility.” 

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Investigators said Williams was fired from the company two weeks ago. He arrived at the facility with a shotgun and a pistol, Hickman said. 

"The individual who was terminated, we believe as a retaliatory act, responded with weapons and came back and initiated the shooting," Hickman said. "Probably being terminated would make him disgruntled, but we don’t know yet how long he had been employed here or exactly what the reasons were."

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Most of the dozen or so employees tried to hide, but Williams ignored them as he searched for a supervisor. When he found Dawid, he killed him.

Two other employees were hit by shrapnel from the shotgun blast and suffered minor injuries, officials said

A Harris County deputy who hurt his knee while entering the building was taken to the hospital. He is expected to be OK.

A company spokesperson for Knight Transportation released the following statement: 

“It is with deep sadness that we confirm a shooting at our Katy, Texas, facility, and the death of a Knight Transportation employee. Our deepest sympathies are with the family during this difficult time. 

"This was the action of a lone former employee, who also died as a result of today’s events. One other employee was confirmed to have injuries, and was treated at the scene and released.

"We appreciate the quick response of authorities and are closely monitoring the situation. Knight is doing everything possible to ensure the safety of all of its employees. Counselors will be on site to support our employees. We have suspended all work at our Katy facility pending completion of the investigation.”

Four nearby schools, including Franz Elementary and Morton Ranch High School, were on lockdown for about an hour during the incident. Katy ISD said all schools involved will follow normal dismissal procedures Wednesday afternoon.

One Morton High School student said she was told to turn around while the campus was on lockdown. She also lives in the Castle Rock subdivision, which is directly behind Knight Transportation. The student said she wasn't worried about the school because it has a pretty solid plan in place. She said she was more worried about her family.

"This is like my backyard. That was like 'oh my goodness.' They are really prepared over there I already know the teachers had it together," the student said. 

"We saw all of these cops, about 20 cars, and then just roaming around this building. And then we also saw the SWAT team heading inside the building. So we knew it was serious," student Irvin Rivas said.