May 16 (Punjab Khabarnama) : A trainee security guard worker at an Amazon warehouse in Ohio was shot dead by police after he attempted to shoot his supervisor at close range and then later shot an officer wearing a bulletproof vest, the authorities said.
The initial shooting occurred around 4:At around 40 p.m. on Sunday at the warehouse in West Jefferson; the shooting was caught on surveillance CCTV footage, they said during their Monday news conference.
Ali Hamsa Yusuf, 22, stunned onlookers when he fired a shot at close range at the back of his supervisor’s head, narrowly missing his target.
According to ABC News, the Amazon facility was promptly evacuated as Yusuf fled the scene, leaving over 100 employees shaken but unharmed.
Supervisor narrowly escapes gunman’s deadly aim
West Jefferson Chief Brandon Smith revealed, “The supervisor helped obtain video footage from inside the Amazon facility showing Yusuf about 3 feet behind the supervisor with the gun pointed at the supervisor’s head. The gun appears to have jammed and the bullet barely missed the supervisor.”
The supervisor stated, “He shot at me twice but he missed. He almost executed me.”
“The firearm would have to have been brought in concealed, Smith West Jefferson Chief Brandon Smith said. As of Monday evening, detectives did not have a motive as to why Yusuf attempted to kill his supervisor, he said,” ABC reported.
Yusuf’s intentions became alarmingly clear when he later targeted a Columbus police officer, hitting the officer’s bulletproof vest with a bullet. The officer escaped with minor injuries.
Madison County Sheriff’s office and West Jefferson police said Yusuf had no prior criminal records.
The Columbus Dispatch reported, “The Madison County Sheriff’s office said in a post on its Facebook page that deputies got a call about a possible active shooter at the warehouse located west of West Jefferson. The sheriff’s office and West Jefferson police responded and are investigating.”
Police chief recounts the gunman’s encounter
Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, recounted, “Franklin Township police officers pulled their vehicles in front of the man’s sedan at a traffic light and a Columbus police cruiser with its dashcam on came up from behind. Yusuf exited his vehicle and began firing at the Columbus officer. Yusuf then began to run around the rear of his car.”
“As Yusuf tried to run away, law enforcement officers began shooting at him and the Columbus police officer, whom the division is not identifying citing Marsy’s Law, realized he had been hit in his bulletproof vest.”
The confirmation of Yusuf’s demise by the West Jefferson police and the Franklin County Coroner’s Office marked the conclusion of a tumultuous ordeal.
Amazon later clarified that Yusuf was a contract employee assigned to the warehouse by a third-party partner. Amazon spokesman Steve Kelly said, “We’re thankful that no one at our facility was injured during this incident and for the work of our team on the ground and first responders.”
“As this is an active investigation, we’re cooperating with the West Jefferson Police Department and will defer further comment to them at this time.”
