Willie Woods

Mass Murderer

Willie Woods and the 1995 Piper Technical Center Murders

Overview

On July 19, 1995, Willie Woods carried out a deadly workplace shooting at the C. Edwin Piper Technical Center in downtown Los Angeles, California. Woods, a 42-year-old city employee, entered the municipal facility armed with a Glock 9mm semiautomatic pistol and killed four supervisors employed by the City of Los Angeles. The shooting occurred shortly after Woods received a negative job-performance evaluation and became concerned that he might be dismissed from his position. Rather than accepting the criticism or pursuing an administrative appeal, Woods armed himself and moved through the technical center, confronting and shooting the men he blamed for his employment difficulties. The attack began at approximately 10:15 a.m. inside the city complex at 555 Ramirez Street. The victims were shot in separate areas of the building, including offices, cubicles and a hallway. Police officers who happened to be inside the complex on unrelated business responded quickly and arrested Woods as he attempted to leave.

Background

Willie Woods worked for the Los Angeles General Services Department and was assigned to communications-related electrical and radio equipment. His position placed him under the supervision of the four men he later killed. The Piper Technical Center housed several municipal operations, including communications services, maintenance offices, print facilities and law-enforcement support units. Before the murders, Woods had experienced mounting workplace problems. Supervisors had reportedly criticized his performance, and Woods believed the negative evaluation could result in his termination. On the morning of July 19, Woods met or argued with one of his supervisors regarding his employment situation. Witnesses described Woods as appearing calm before the violence began. After the disagreement, he left the immediate area and returned with a loaded Glock pistol capable of holding 19 rounds. Woods then began searching for the supervisors associated with his evaluation.

The Shooting at Piper Technical Center

Woods moved through the building and attacked his supervisors individually. Two men were shot near their work cubicles, another was killed in a hallway and the fourth was shot inside a separate office. The victims were not gathered together when the attack occurred, indicating that Woods traveled through different sections of the facility to locate them. The sudden gunfire caused employees to flee, hide beneath desks or seek safety in nearby rooms. Because Piper Technical Center contained city offices and technical operations, many employees were present when the shooting began. Emergency calls brought additional officers, firefighters and paramedics to the complex. Police officers already inside the facility heard the gunshots and responded before Woods could escape. He was intercepted near an exit and taken into custody within minutes of the killings. The firearm was recovered, and Woods was transported for questioning while investigators secured the building and began documenting the separate shooting scenes. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Neil Carpenter 61 yr old Male

City Electrician Found Guilty in 4 Killings