An investigation continues into a shooting near Ohio Stadium early yesterday morning that left two university workers dead and one wounded.
Several 9-1-1 calls were made from the Ohio State maintenance building near the stadium just after 3:30 a.m. In one of them, OSU employee Kenneth King said he believed it was custodian Nathaniel Brown who was doing the shooting.
911 CALL: It looked like an employee who was going to be terminated. It looked like Nate Brown. Nate Brown? Nate Brown. Nathaniel Brown that's who it looked like
University Police Chief Paul Denton confirmed that it was, in fact, Nathaniel Brown who shot and killed his supervisor, 48-year-old Larry Wallington and wounded a 60-year-old co-worker Henry Butler. Officers say they found Brown with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at OSU Medical Center.
Denton says Brown was a probationary employee who came to work Tuesday morning with a backpack and two handguns.
"The suspect entered an office suite with a gun and began shooting," Denton said. "This incident appears to be work related; that Nathaniel Brown had a poor performance evaluation and came back then to initiate this incident." OSU hired Brown last October. A review of his personnel records indicates he struggled to meet expectations. Brown was cited for being late, failing to complete assigned duties and for sleeping on the job.
An evaluation shortly after he started said Brown was working well with others showing respect and accepting constructive feedback.
But later evaluations indicate Brown's relationship with Wallington and his co-workers deteriorated. Wallington noted in January that Brown became frustrated and argumentative when mistakes were pointed out to him.
Brown was slated to be terminated effective this coming Saturday.
Court records indicate Brown was having financial trouble. He faced the foreclosure of his northeast Columbus home.