thelantern
Wednesday March 10, 2010 year: 130 No. 77 the student voice of
The Ohio State University
www.thelantern.com
CAMPUS SHOOTING A week after his bosses told him he would lose his job, a 51-year-old custodial worker shot two supervisors, killing one, before killing himself. Documents show that he had clashed with his bosses for months.
ZACH TUGGLE / Lantern photographer
TUESDAY, MARCH 9
COLLIN BINKLEY Managing editor binkley.44@osu.edu
Nathaniel Brown struggled to pay the bills. His relationship with his girlfriend had recently ended. And ÿve months after he was hired at Ohio State, the man whom supervisors described as “hostile” learned he was losing his job. “He’d been having a lot of ÿnancial troubles,” said Ray Conrad, who lived next to Brown’s home of 20 years on the near East Side. At 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, Brown, 51, walked into the maintenance building at 2000 Tuttle Park Place, where he checked in for work every morning. But Tuesday he came in halfway through his shift — armed with two handguns — and shot two of his bosses before killing himself, police say. Larry Wallington, 48, a building services manager, was pronounced dead at the scene. Henry Butler, 60, an operations shift leader, was shot in the shoulder and was in stable condition after he underwent surgery at the OSU Medical Center. Documents show that during Brown’s brief employment, he clashed with his supervisors. In handwritten notes describing Brown’s work, an unidentiÿed employee says it’s “like he has ADHD — totally lost if not carefully supervised.” When a supervisor gave Brown his 90-day review early this year, he became hostile and yelled “You might as well ÿre me now!” according to the notes. The employee had to call Butler into the room to calm Brown. On Tuesday morning, Brown’s supervisors had gathered in Room 107 of the building to conduct an interview early in the morning, police said. When Brown entered the room, he speciÿcally asked for
OSU Police guard the loading dock to the maintenance building at 2000 Tuttle Park Pl. while the shooting investigation continues Tuesday afternoon.
3:30 a.m.
NATHANIEL BROWN
3:32 a.m. Witnesses call 911.
3:34 a.m.
LARRY WALLINGTON
Buckeye Alert text messages and phone calls are sent to notify students and employees.
7:00 a.m.
continued as Shooting on 3A
HENRY BUTLER
Tuesday’s shooting took place in room 107 of the Maintenance Building located at 2000 Tuttle Park Pl. The shooter, Nathaniel Brown, entered through a door at the loading dock.
W Woodruff Avenue
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Maintenance Building FIRST FLOOR PLAN 101A
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McCracken Power Plant
Neil Ave
Tuttle Park Place
Central Classroom Building
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LOADING DOCK
venue 17th A
Source: Facilities Operations and Development
107D
A second press conference is held. The names and conditions of all parties are released. Brown is identified as the shooter and his death is announced.
107F
10:00 p.m.
107C
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107K
OSU Emergency Management and OSU Police hold a press conference, releasing only the number of victims. All students and employees are notified via e-mail.
11:00 a.m.
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OSU Police arrive. Wallington is pronounced dead. Brown and Butler are taken to OSU Medical Center, where Brown is pronounced dead.
4:30 a.m.
The scene of the crime Maintenance Building LOCATION ON CAMPUS
Nathaniel Brown arrives at the Maintenance Building, 2000 Tuttle Park Pl., armed with two handguns. Brown shoots his supervisors Larry Wallington and Henry Butler before shooting himself.
Students organize vigil for victims outside the maintenance building.
107G
MOLLY GRAY / Lantern designer
LISTEN TO THE 911 CALL AT THELANTERN.COM
Victim described as gentle talked of problems at work DAN MCKEEVER mckeever.16@osu.edu Ollers Project Reporter Nearly every day for the last three years, a few Ohio State employees received an e-mail ÿlled with encouragement and religious writings from building services manager Larry Wallington, who had worked as a janitor in their ofÿce in the Fisher College of Business. Those stories, re° ections and Bible verses helped their recipients through the rough patches in their personal lives. “It seemed like they came at the right time,” said Jackie McClure, an administrative associate in the Fisher College of Business.
“They talked about daily living, doing for others, giving of yourself,” said Jackie Grueser, an ofÿce manager in the OSU Medical Center who previously worked in the Fisher College of Business. The last e-mail Grueser received from Wallington came on Friday. Sadly, there will be no more to follow. Wallington, 48, was shot and killed by custodial employee Nathaniel Brown, 51, at the OSU Maintenance Building at about 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Police said that the shooting was “work related.” Wallington, whom friends describe as a gentle, friendly man who did not like confrontation, had mentioned trouble at his job, said Laurie Spadaro, the assistant to the department chair in Management Sciences at the Fisher College of Business. “He just said some of his people didn’t do the job that he thought they should be doing, or as good as they should be doing. That’s about all he would say,” Spadaro said. “He took a lot of pride in his job and everything
continued as Wallington on 3A
After surgery, victim is recovering in stable condition EVERDEEN MASON Editor-in-chief mason.388@osu.edu Heather Butler found out her father was shot when he called her early this morning. “He called me after being admitted in the hospital,” the 29-year-old Columbus resident said. Henry Butler, 60, was shot in his left shoulder Tuesday around 3:30 a.m and taken to Ohio State University Medical Center. The OSU operations shift leader was shot by Nathaniel Brown, a 51-year-old custodian.
Brown also shot and killed building services manager Larry Wallington, 48, before killing himself. Brown was at the end of his probationary period as a custodian, and had received a negative work report. Butler himself reported Brown had been sleeping on the job, according to work records. Feb. 12, Henry Butler requested probationary work removal for Brown. Heather Butler said she had never heard her father complain about his work at OSU, or any of his employees. “He spent 11 years at OSU,” she said. “He liked working there.” Butler also said she had met some of her father’s OSU friends, but had never met Wallington. Butler remained in the hospital with her father all of Tuesday, with
her cousins as company, she said. Her brother was in and out of the hospital with her, while her mother was still on her way to the hospital from Florida after visiting family. “I’ve been talking to [mom] all morning,” Butler said. “She’s ÿne, she’s a little [upset], but she’s good.” Butler said she and her father are very close. “We try to do everything together,” she said. “There’s lots of family time together to go on trips and stuff.” While Butler underwent surgery on his shoulder, Butler said she remained optimistic. “It hasn’t been too scary,” she said. “It’s just a matter of distracting ourselves.”
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