On the morning of August 3, 2010, Bryan Cirigliano, a 51-year-old male, arrived at his longtime workplace, Hartford Distributors in Manchester, Connecticut, for what would be a fateful disciplinary meeting. As the president of Teamsters Local 1035, he was there to act as the union representative for a coworker, 34-year-old Omar Thornton. Cirigliano, who had been with the company for 29 years, was known for diligently protecting the interests of his union brothers.
The meeting was convened because Thornton had been caught on video stealing beer and was being given the choice to resign or be terminated.
After speaking privately with Cirigliano, Thornton agreed to resign and signed the necessary paperwork. Shortly after the meeting concluded, Thornton went to his lunchbox, from which he retrieved two semi-automatic pistols. He then opened fire inside the sprawling warehouse. A witness later recounted seeing Bryan Cirigliano attempting to leave an office area, shouting, "No Omar No!" before Thornton shot him multiple times from behind. The sudden eruption of violence plunged the workplace into chaos as Thornton continued his rampage.
The shooter, Omar Thornton, ultimately killed eight of his coworkers, including Bryan Cirigliano, and wounded two others. As police arrived at the scene within minutes and began to secure the building, Thornton barricaded himself in an office. He made a call to his mother and later to a 911 operator, claiming his actions were a response to racial harassment he had endured at the company, a claim that a subsequent police investigation found no evidence to support. Before he could be apprehended, Omar Thornton took his own life, ending the siege. There were no arrests made in connection with the murders. Bryan Cirigliano was remembered as a devoted husband and a loving father to his two daughters.
