JACKSON - Austin Clark wonders if he could have made a difference if he had been at work at a Meridian plant when a co-worker went on a shooting rampage that left six dead and several injured.
Clark, who stayed home ill from his job at the Lockheed Martin plant north of Meridian on Tuesday, will never know.
Doug Williams, 48, described by Clark as usually a "a very nice guy to be around," carried a shotgun and rifle into the aircraft parts plant and began shooting at co-workers before killing himself.
Other workers say Williams, who was white, was a racist who had talked about killing others, particularly blacks.
Clark, who is white and had worked alongside Williams, said Williams had some problems.
"I don't know if I'd go as far as to say he was unstable," Clark said. "It was a surprise he did this."
Clark said Williams had complained that managers had badly handled some problems Williams had at work.
Clark said in some ways he wished he had been able to work on Tuesday.
"Maybe something would have tipped me off," he said. "Maybe I could have stopped him…. Who knows?"
Russell Wright's brother, Randy Wright, was shot in the forearm.
Russell Wright also works at Lockheed Martin but did not go to work Tuesday because he said he had a vague feeling that something bad might happen. He described Williams as "a hothead" who had run-ins with employees and managers.
"He didn't like to take instructions too well," Wright said.
Bobby McCall of Cuba, Ala., whose wife, Lanette McCall, was among those killed Tuesday, said his wife told him Williams had been making general racist threats. She was black.
McCall said the threats were not specifically directed at his wife, but Williams had been talking about her to other people.
"Obviously, he was a sick guy," McCall said. "I wish somebody had given him some help before he done destroyed my life and my kids' life."
The McCalls have two children, ages 20 and 29, and two grandchildren.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics president Dain Hancock said the company will provide emotional and financial support for workers at the Mississippi plant.
"There are no words that can express the amount of sorrow that has been felt by all of those who have been touched," he said during a news conference in Meridian.
Hancock would not discuss security at the plant, but Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie said security was low.
Dale Masi, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, said companies at times can ignore warning signs of trouble.
"One of the biggest issues I've found is managers who have problem employees and are not dealing with them," said Dale. "They think they're being helpful. Managers are being social workers, but they need to hold people accountable."
Managers accept behavior in the workplace that they shouldn't, Masi said. They need to be trained to take note of "aberrant" behavior, like bullying or talking about killing people.
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