Survivor says killer was model employee

ST. LOUIS -- A man whose wife and daughter were killed by an angry employee says the shooter had not caused any trouble while working at his business for the last five years.

Charlie Finninger survived the shooting at his family's catering business on Thursday after employees pushed him into a cooler. But the shooter, Herbert L. Chalmers, killed Finninger's wife, Cleo, 79, and their only child, Christine Politte, 44. Chalmers injured a third employee before committing suicide in the company parking lot.

Before the shooting at Finninger's Catering Service, Chalmers killed the mother of his four children and a woman who was in a former girlfriend's apartment, police said.

"From a one to 10, I would say he was a 10 employee," Charlie Finninger told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Friday. Chalmers worked in the kitchen and occasionally drove a truck for the caterers.

"He was always on time. Sometimes he talked too much, but he never gave us any problem."

Police said Chalmers, 54, apparently was upset about the amount of child support withheld from his paycheck.

Charlie Finninger, 79, who owned the business with his wife, said Chalmers had complained about the child support, but he didn't criticize his boss.

"People keep saying there were signs," Finninger said. "Trust me, there were no signs."

Finninger said he was in the kitchen when the gunfire erupted about 2 p.m. As someone shouted, "They're shooting," employees helped wheel his motorized cart into a walk-in cooler to hide.

Finninger said when he came out of the cooler, he saw his wife and daughter lying dead next to each other.

Finninger and his wife would have celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary next week.

"We were a great couple," he said. "We worked as partners in marriage and business for 55 years."

Finninger suffered a heart attack Tuesday evening after the shooting. He was discharged from a hospital Thursday.

Patty Meier, his friend and business manager for 30 years, survived despite being shot five times. Finninger said she was moved from a hospital to a long-term health center.

"Patty is a trusted, loyal, wonderful employee and friend," Finninger said. "I'm thankful for her."

Finninger pledged to be back to work Monday, putting out meals for his clients: Head Start and nutrition programs for older adults. He said he would not let competitors take away a business that he and his wife built together.

"I never let anyone get ahead of me in life," he said. "I'm the tough kid from Walnut Park."