According to this report, the shooter used a shotgun (then again; it's not like the press gets the nomenclature correct when it comes to firearms).
www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/1-10212004-387234.html"Man Opens Fire at Mo. Manufacturing Plant
By JIM SUHR
The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS - A man walked into a conveyor belt factory and opened fire Thursday afternoon while workers were changing shifts, at one point reloading his shotgun in a parking lot and re-entering the building, witnesses said.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone was hurt. In the hours after the shooting, heavily armed police had cordoned off several blocks around the plant, shooing away reporters and the curious.
Police declined comment at the scene and did not immediately return telephone calls seeking details.
One worker at Belt Service Corp. - located in an industrial area west of St. Louis, near the training facility of the St. Louis Rams - told The Associated Press that he had just begun shift when he heard a gunshot.
"Boom! Then instantaneously, I heard another," said Craig Kopplin, 33.
Kopplin said he saw the gunman only from behind and did not recognize him: "I heard the two shots and ran in the opposite direction."
Another worker, Kevin Tippit, said he heard at least five gunshots, with the suspect firing at people at close range. Tippit, 41, also bolted and sought shelter in a neighboring building's dock area.
"I was looking through the windows, and the guy came out, reloaded his gun and went right back in," he said. "It's craziness, craziness."
October 21, 2004 6:23 PM"