Mansel “Sonny” Hammett — the 1985 South Connellsville Factory Murders
Background
On the morning of
March 16, 1985, Mansel “Sonny” Hammett, a 39-year-old hourly worker at the Anchor Glass Container Corp. plant in
South Connellsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, was sent home after a workplace disciplinary issue. A short time later—around 10 a.m.—he returned to the plant with a revolver. Contemporary reporting and later retrospectives identify the location, date, and precipitating suspension preceding the attack.
The Attack (March 16, 1985)
Entering the facility, Hammett first incapacitated the gate security guard—identified in reports as
James Silbaugh—before moving through the factory floor in search of plant supervisors. He then shot multiple foremen, killing four and seriously wounding a fifth, before turning the gun on himself. Eyewitness and police accounts from the time describe him “stalking” the supervisory offices and ignoring pleas to stop; he ultimately died by suicide inside the plant.
The lone surviving gunshot victim was
Richard Hosier, who sustained a critical chest wound and was hospitalized in Pittsburgh.
Victims (Names, Date, Location)
- Donald Abbott — Foreman — March 16, 1985 — Anchor Glass Container Corp., South Connellsville, PA.
- John Coligan — Foreman — March 16, 1985 — Anchor Glass Container Corp., South Connellsville, PA.
- Ralph Tomaro — Foreman — March 16, 1985 — Anchor Glass Container Corp., South Connellsville, PA.
- Paul Gabelt — Foreman — March 16, 1985 — Anchor Glass Container Corp., South Connellsville, PA.
...Read More
Account
