Van Edward Springer, a 59-year-old Caucasian male, was tragically killed on January 12, 2010, in a workplace shooting at the Penske truck rental facility in Kennesaw, Georgia. On that Tuesday afternoon, a former employee, 60-year-old Jesse James Warren, entered the business dressed in camouflage and opened fire with a 9mm handgun.
The violent rampage left two other men, Jaider Marulanda, 43, and Roberto Gonzalez, 31, dead. Two other employees, Joshua Holbrook and Zachariah Werner, were critically injured but survived the initial attack. One of the victims died at the scene, while Springer and Gonzalez were transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries. The attack was targeted at employees and a customer within the facility.
Warren fled the scene in a red Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck but was apprehended by police less than a mile away without incident. Upon his arrest, authorities found two firearms and ammunition in his possession. A subsequent search of his home uncovered more than 10 additional firearms and more ammunition. The motive for the shooting appeared to stem from Warren's belief that Penske had stolen money from him. It was later revealed that in 2009, Penske had sent Warren to a psychiatrist after he made accusations against the company involving computer hacking. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia but was allowed to return to work before being fired.
Following the shooting, Warren was charged with three counts of malice murder, three counts of felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated battery, and five counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He pleaded not guilty and was denied bond. However, his trial, which was scheduled to begin in May 2013, was postponed to determine his mental competency. Ultimately, Jesse James Warren was found incompetent to stand trial and was indefinitely committed to a psychiatric facility in 2017.
