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Who Is Omar Thornton? Hartford Distributors Shooting Suspect & Mugshot

Carter Sullivan

Omar Thornton was a mass shooter at Hartford Distributors, Connecticut, who killed 8 people for racism. Is he in jail? What happened? 

The deadliest workplace shooting in the history of Connecticut took place on August 3, 2010. A 34-year-old man, Omar Thornton shot his coworkers leaving eight dead and two gravely injured. 

Many have seen the mass shooting as a fight against racism because Thornton accused the company employees of racism. However, the police never found any substantial evidence to prove his case. 

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Who Is Omar Thornton? Hartford Distributors Shooting Suspect

Omar Thornton was a former employee of Hartford Distributors, a distributor of Budweiser beer and wine. 

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On August 3, 2010, Thornton was summoned by the company to fire him over allegations of theft. The 34-year-old quietly signed the statement of resignation and everyone thought he was going out of the premises. 

However, he took out a gun from his lunchbox and fired it at his co-workers. The shooting took the lives of eight people and two were gravely injured. It is the most horrific workplace shooting in the history of Connecticut. 

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Omar Thornton Trial And Sentence: Is He In Jail?

Omar Thornton killed himself after the mass shooting. 

Following the shooting, he called his mother and explained why he did what he did. The employee mentioned that everyone in his workplace racially abused him as most of the employees were white. 

Moreover, he also made a call to 911 and told the operator that he "wish he could kill more people." He then took the gun and shot himself, meaning the case never went to trial. 

Omar Thornton Family: Where Are They Now?

Omar Thornton's family repeatedly blamed the company for racially abusing him, leading to his death. 

His girlfriend, Kristi told the Police that she had seen a racial noose written on the bathroom wall. Two of his relatives were arrested for using the property stolen by him as well.