WAKEFIELD, Mass. -- Authorities are focusing Wednesday on whether the heavily armed gunman who allegedly killed seven co-workers at a suburban Boston Internet consulting firm Tuesday was upset about a tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service.
Prosecutors believe Michael McDermott, 42, a software tester at Edgewater Technology, may have been angry about an IRS request to take a portion of his wages to pay back taxes, Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley said Tuesday night.
She said Edgewater had agreed not to begin taking out money from McDermott's paycheck until after the holidays. But the suspect reportedly had an angry outburst in the company's accounting department last week over the possibility of losing some wages, according to an unnamed co-worker cited in published reports.
Most of the victims, four women and three men, worked in the accounting department. Coakley said the shootings appeared not to be random; the suspect bypassed several people during the attack.
Meanwhile, McDermott, of Haverhill, Mass., pleaded innocent to seven counts of murder this morning in Malden (Mass.) District Court. He was ordered held without bail.
Authorities say McDermott was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, shotgun and semi-automatic pistol, when he went on the shooting rampage at Edgewater's offices in Wakefield, Mass., around 11 a.m. McDermott was arrested without incident in the lobby of the company, located 10 miles north of Boston.
McDermott has worked at Edgewater as a software tester since March.
Victims were identified as Jennifer Bragg-Capobianco; Janice Hagerty, a receptionist; Louis Javelle; Rose Manfredi, 49, an accountant; Paul Marceau; Cheryl Troy, human resources director; and Craig Wood, 29. All ages and hometowns were not immediately released.
The shootings took place two hours after McDermott arrived for work. About 150 employees work in the company's offices in a renovated 19th-century mill building on Foundry Street, in a town of 26,000 people off the Route 128 high-tech corridor. Because of the holiday only about 70 were present at the time of the shooting.
Edgewater employees leaving interviews with police nearby declined comment. But workers at business near the shooting scene described a frantic, terror-filled escape by dozens of Edgewater employees as soon as the shots were fired.
About 15 Edgewater workers ran to the nearby Wakefield Co., a metal-parts maker. Fleeing employees told Wakefield Co. workers that the gunman blasted out a window to a conference room, sending meeting participants diving for cover. He then turned his gun elsewhere.
"They said when they heard the shots they hit the deck," said Barry MacFarland, a Wakfield Co. employee.
He said the Edgewater employees were so
panicked after fleeing their building they pounded Wakefield Co.'s unlocked door so they could be let in.
"I'll tell you how frantic they were: I don't think they knew how to open the door," McFarland said.
Edgewater employees hurried inside once someone opened the door. Someone called police, one of the numerous calls to authorities in the minutes after the attack.
Claire Samra, another Wakefield Co. worker, added that as soon as they heard the gunman was still shooting, they locked the doors in case he came across the street.
Edgewater employees did not provide many details about the suspect, she said; several weren't positive who was doing the shooting. Some just described the gunman as a large, tall man whose name they did not know.
"They were just so shaken, they didn't say much at all." Samra said. The company let Edgewater's workers use the phone to call their families.
About 12 to 15 Edgewater workers also ran to North Shore Pool & Spa, across the street from Edgewater's offices. Darren Emery, a service manager at the store, said an Edgewater employee ran inside and asked to use the phone to call police.
"He wasn't panicking, he called 911 and told police he believed shots had been fired," Emery said. "As he made the call, we started to see more people running from the building, and within 30 to 45 seconds police cars started arriving."
About a dozen Edgewater employees took refuge in the pool-supply store while police surrounded the Edgewater offices. Within minutes they stormed the lobby and, according to reports, found McDermott sitting quietly, his weapons within reach.
Police, including special operations and K-9 units, searched the Edgewater offices in the hours after the shootings, tallying victims and ensuring there was not a second gunman.
Michael McDermott, the alleged gunman, was described as "a bit quirky" by one co-worker, who had the day off but who rushed to the scene after hearing of the massacre.
"He was a pretty friendly guy, but he's a bit quirky," said Mike Stanley, a project team leader at Edgewater, but did not provide details.
Stanley said McDermott, who went by the nickname "Mucko," was a software tester who worked for the company since March. Stanley said McDermott didn't talk
much about his personal life.
As for motive, Stanley said had been reprimanded recently, however there were no signs that he would snap. "I know he was coming in late quite a bit and (managers) were talking to him about that," Stanley said.
St. Joseph's Church, located across the street from the shooting scene, was turned into a makeshift shelter for evacuated employees, where police also conducted interviews with witnesses. Family members of Edgewater workers also went to the church.
Edgewater's offices are located in an old, mixed-use neighborhood packed with residences, small businesses, convenience stores and sandwich shops. Several other companies have offices in the complex where Edgewater is located.
Unlike many other Internet consulting firms and systems integrators, 8-year-old Edgewater has not announced any significant layoffs in recent weeks.
Tuesday afternoon, Edgewater issued a statement on the shooting.
"It is my sad duty to confirm that a shooting took place at our Wakefield office earlier today," said Shirley Singleton, Edgewater's CEO. "The details of this morning's events remain unclear at this time and we will be assisting the police in every way possible with their investigation."
Singleton added that everyone at the company "is shocked and devastated by the loss of our friends. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims' families at this tragic time."
Editor's note: Click here for a boston.internet.com editorial on the Edgewater shootings. Also visit boston.internet.com for continuing coverage Wednesday.
