On February 25, 2016, Brian Sadowsky, a 44-year-old White male, was fatally shot at his workplace, Excel Industries, in Hesston, Kansas. The tragic event was part of a larger shooting spree carried out by his co-worker, 38-year-old Cedric Ford. Just about an hour before the shooting, Sadowsky had been promoted to the position of Raptor Auto Tech. He had been an employee at the lawnmower manufacturing plant for nearly six years and also served as a safety representative.
The series of
attacks began in the late afternoon when Ford, after being served with a protection from abuse order, started shooting randomly while driving through Newton and Hesston. He shot and injured motorists before making his way to Excel Industries. Upon arriving at the facility, he shot an individual in the parking lot before entering the building and opening fire on his colleagues. Inside the plant, where over 200 employees were present, Ford killed Sadowsky, along with Renee Benjamin, 30, and Josh Higbee, 31. He wounded 14 other people during his rampage through the factory.
The lone suspect in the shootings was Cedric Ford, who was armed with an assault rifle and a pistol. The attack was brought to an end when Hesston Police Chief Doug Schroeder, the first officer to arrive at the scene, confronted Ford inside the plant. In the ensuing shootout, Schroeder fatally shot Ford. An autopsy later revealed that Ford was under the influence of high levels of methamphetamine and alcohol at the time of the shootings. Ford had a criminal record in both Florida and Harvey County, Kansas. There were no other suspects, and no arrests were made as the sole perpetrator was killed at the scene.
