Shooting at FedEx center wounds 6, suspect dead

KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) -- A shooter described as being armed with an assault rifle and having bullets strapped across his chest "like Rambo" opened fire Tuesday morning at a FedEx station outside Atlanta, wounding at least six people before police found the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

Police rushed to the center after someone called to report an active shooter at 5:54 a.m. After surrounding the perimeter and working to clear the building, officers found the suspect dead, Cobb County police spokesman Michael Bowman said. He said there were no immediate reports anyone else had been killed.

FedEx clerk Liza Aiken said she was working inside when she heard something, dropped, looked to her left and saw the gunman.

"He had bullets strapped across his chest like Rambo, a huge assault rifle and he had a knife," Aiken said in a parking lot where employees were gathering not far from their workplace. Before she could continue, a woman wearing a FedEx jacket told Aiken to stop talking and led her away.

Six people wounded at the FedEx station were taken to nearby Wellstar Kennestone hospital, where spokesman Tyler Pearson said one victim was rushed to surgery with potentially critical injuries. Others were less serious.

"A lot of them were able to walk off the ambulance," Pearson said.

David Titus, a FedEx truck driver, said he was just coming to work when he saw someone walk up and shoot a security guard in the abdomen outside the building. He said he could hear more gunshots after the gunman went inside.

"It was chaos," Titus said. "Everyone was running ducking and hiding, trying to get out of there."

FedEx said the facility about 25 miles north of Atlanta is a hub where packages are sorted and loaded onto vehicles for delivery. It's located next to the general aviation airport for suburban Cobb County.

Police kept roads leading to the FedEx station blocked after the shooting. Dozens of workers were taken by car and bus to the parking lot of a skating rink about a half-mile away to call relatives for rides. Some family members got out of their cars and hugged the workers. Several employees said they had been told not to speak with reporters.

The identity of the suspected shooter was not immediately released.

The company was cooperating with police but had no details to release about the shootings Tuesday morning.

"We are aware from the authorities of the situation," said Scott Fiedler, a FedEx spokesman. "Our primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of our team members, first responders and others affected."

Atlanta police and the Fulton County District Attorney's Office investigate a shooting that left two people wounded, in the 2300 block of Fairway Circle, Friday, April 25, 2014, in Atlanta. Atlanta police Sgt. Greg Lyon said a man and a woman were shot. Both were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where the woman was in critical condition. Few other details were immediately available. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, John Spink)

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.