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	APD Police Chief Ray Schultz answers questions from reporters as Mayor Richard Berry, left, and Public Safety Director Darren White look on. Berry commended APD officers for their quick response and heroism.

APD Police Chief Ray Schultz answers questions from reporters as Mayor Richard Berry, left, and Public Safety Director Darren White look on. Berry commended APD officers for their quick response and heroism.

APD: Emcore employee kills two, wounds four in rampage

UPDATE: Wednesday 12:16 p.m.

Questions about a deadly shooting spree Monday morning at a local Albuquerque fiber optics manufacturer are now being answered.

Police are now able to piece together alleged shooter Robert Reza’s path through Emcore, the fiber optics and solar power company, which left two people dead and four hospitalized. Reza shot himself once in the head after the rampage and died, said Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz.

Reza’s main target, ex-girlfriend and mother of their two five-year-old sons, Adrienne Basciano, is still in critical condition, said Billy Sparks, UNM Hospital spokesperson. Reza allegedly killed 36-year-old Michele Turner and 47-year-old Sharon Cunningham, Schultz said. Other shooting victims including Malissia Mai, Rodney Noble, and Dixie Colvin are still alive. Mai and Noble have been released from UNMH, Sparks said, and Colvin is in “satisfactory condition.”
Reza began firing a handgun outside the building. Cunningham was the first to be shot and killed, Schultz said.

“Without provocation, without warning at all, he discharged his handgun at her, striking her two times,” he said.

Reza then shot Turner and Basciano while they were outside taking a break. Reza continued to fire shots at Turner even while she “was in a helpless position,” Schultz said. Reza then broke into the Emcore building through a window and continued to shoot at people. Schultz said police may never know why Reza still went inside the building after shooting ex-girlfriend Basciano outside.

“The fact that he went into the building after shooting her leads us to believe he was actually in hunt of something or someone,” Shultz said. “Exactly what this is, we don’t know and we may never know.”

APD

Hamby said police won’t be able to talk to Basciano until her health improves. However, Basciano’s friends told police that Reza was abusive, Hamby said.

“Several friends of Adrienne’s disclosed that there was a history of what she thought was abuse,” Hamby said. “But, that has not been documented.”

UPDATE: Tuesday 10:40 a.m.
APD has identified Robert Reza as the man who allegedly went on a rampage Monday morning, killing two people and himself and wounding four others.

Of the four shooting victims who survived, one has already been treated and sent home, said Billy Sparks, UNM Hospital Spokesman. Two victims are in stable condition and a female victim who underwent surgery yesterday is still being monitored, he said.

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Reza’s main target during the shooting spree, his girlfriend and mother of his two children, is still alive, APD spokeswoman Nadine Hamby said.

The girlfriend, whose name has not yet been released, was in critical condition Monday night, according to an Associated Press article. Her name and names of other victims may be released later today, Hamby said.

Reza forced his way past Emcore security with at least one hand gun in search of his girlfriend, said Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz. A bloody and chaotic scene ensued, he said. The first five police men that responded were able to isolate Reza, Shultz said.

Reza and his girlfriend were separated and in the middle of a custody battle, said one Emore employee who wishes to remain anonymous.

An unidentified gunman forced his way into an Albuquerque fiber optics manufacturing building this morning killing two people and wounding four, before turning the gun on himself.

The gunman was a former employee of the manufacturer, Emcore Corporation, and his main target was his girlfriend – a current employee, said Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz.

“At this point in time we are still in the investigative process,” he said. “We believe that this is a single shooter. We believe it is a workplace domestic violence situation.”

Out of the four survivors, three are in stable condition and one is still being monitored closely, said Billy Sparks, UNM Hospital spokesman.

Schultz confirmed that the gunman is dead, but no names were released and although the girlfriend was shot, it hasn’t been confirmed if she is among the deceased.

The couple had two children who were staying at their Rio Rancho home and are safe, Schultz said.

One Emcore employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she got to know the shooter’s girlfriend during smoke breaks they took together. She said the couple had 5-year-old twin boys. The girlfriend was fighting for full custody of the twins, she said.

“As far as I knew, they separated,” she said, crying. “(The girlfriend) was going for custody of the two boys – full custody. This is what may have brought it on, I don’t know.”

Emcore employees who were interviewed by APD told officers that the girlfriend had concerns about domestic violence and was planning to report them to the police, Schultz said. The gunman may have also been looking for another specific person to shoot besides his girlfriend, he said.

Just before 9:30 a.m., police received a 911 call reporting a shooter at the Emcore building, Schultz said, and officers arrived within one minute. He said the first five officers on the scene went into the building to corner the gunman, which is what they are trained to do before helping victims. While on their way inside, the officers saw one obviously deceased victim outside the building, he said.

The second team of officers that arrived put victims in police cars and drove them to nearby ambulances, said James Breen, Albuquerque Fire Department Chief.

“One of the first officers that the (police) chief and I saw was just covered in blood because they were doing everything they could to save these victims,” Breen said. “Right now they’re very shaken because what they witnessed was just unthinkable.”
Police evacuated 80 people from the building where the shooting took place, 141 in a nearby building and 700 from a third building, Schultz said. More than 200 people were evacuated to nearby Manzano Mesa Community Center, where grief counselors and paramedics were available.

The anonymous Emcore employee said no one was permitted to go back into the building after the evacuation and employees can’t even go back for cars. She said many employees are without identification, cell phones and personal belongings as a result.

Breen said the crime scene covers several acres and must be thoroughly investigated before employees can return for belongings. He said APD detectives as well as FBI agents are involved in the investigation because the company does government contract work.

“This is the worst nightmare that you can think of,” Breen said.
Breen said officials are also reviewing surveillance video from Emcore.

Breen said the scene was described by police officers as “very chaotic.”

“When the shooting occurred, of course we had people try to flee the facility,” he said. “We had people run from the facility to nearby businesses. Over 70 people self-evacuated into a building inside the Kirtland Air Force Base.”

Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry said APD responded quickly and heroically to the scene.

“I’d like to commend Albuquerque Police Department for being quick on the scene,” he said. “Sometimes being quick on the scene, even in just minutes, you can’t avoid a tragedy.”

Reuben Hamming-Green contributed to this report.

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