An employee of an Internet consulting firm allegedly shot and killed seven co-workers on Tuesday morning at the company’s corporate headquarters in a suburb north of Boston.
A 42-year-old male suspect and employee of Edgewater Technology Inc., where the shooting took place in Wakefield, Mass., was expected to be arraigned on seven counts of murder late Tuesday or on Wednesday, according to a Boston Herald report. The company later named him as Michael McDermott.
The suspect was described as being heavily armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, a shotgun and an automatic handgun, the report said. Police responded to emergency calls about 11 a.m. and discovered the suspect sitting in the lobby of the Internet consulting firm, the Boston Herald said.
In a statement issued early Wednesday, Shirley Singleton, CEO of Edgewater Technology, called the shootings a “senseless act of violence.”
“Although the suspect that the police have in custody, Michael McDermott, is an employee of Edgewater Technology, his actions apparently stem from occurrences in his personal life. We deeply regret that Mr. McDermott’s problems manifested in actions against the company and its employees. There was no way to anticipate his actions or any apparent reasons to restrict his access to the building,” she was quoted as saying in the statement.
“Everyone at Edgewater Technology is shocked and devastated by the loss of our friends,” Singleton said in an earlier statement. “We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims’ families at this tragic time.”
Edgewater, an Internet strategy company, is in the process of moving its headquarters to Wakefield from Fayetteville, Arkansas. The company also has offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Minnesota and New Hampshire. Wakefield is located 10 miles north of Boston.
Edgewater Technology, in Wakefield, Mass., can be reached at http://www.edgewater.com/.