Hastings Arthur Wise (1997) — Overview
Hastings Arthur Wise (February 16, 1954 – November 4, 2005) carried out a workplace mass murder at the R.E. Phelon Company, a lawn-mower parts factory in Aiken, South Carolina, on September 15, 1997. Fired from his machine-operator job in July 1997, he returned to the plant during a shift change and opened fire, killing four former co-workers and wounding three others.
Background and Motive
Wise had worked at R.E. Phelon for more than four years before his termination in July 1997. Co-workers later testified he had said he would “be back.” Trial records and reporting describe a revenge motive centered on his firing and perceived mistreatment at the plant.
Timeline of the September 15, 1997 Attack
At about 3:00 p.m. on September 15, 1997, Wise drove into the employees’ lot as shifts changed. He first approached the guard station and shot security officer
Stanley Vance once in the upper abdomen; Vance survived but suffered lasting disability. Wise ripped out the phone lines, then moved into the building.
He entered the Human Resources office and fatally shot personnel manager
Charles Griffeth, 56, twice in the back as Griffeth sat at his desk. Continuing into the plant, Wise went to the tool-and-die area where he fired repeatedly, killing
David Wayne Moore, 30, and
Ernest (Earnest) Leonard Filyaw, 31, and wounding
Lucius Corley and
John Mitchell (Mitchell suffered severe internal injuries).
Wise then moved toward another area as workers fled. Near a doorway, he shot
Esther Sheryl (“Sheryl/Cheryl”) Wood, 27, in the back and leg, then delivered a fatal shot as she lay on the floor—described in court as “execution-style.” Witnesses saw him reload multiple times. Investigators recovered four empty eight-round magazines; he still had four full magazines and 123 additional rounds when apprehended.
After the shooting spree, Wise went upstairs, lay down in an office, and ingested insecticide in an apparent suicide attempt. Police found him semi-conscious and arrested him at the scene.
Victims (Killed) — Names, Ages, Date, and Location
- Charles Griffeth, 56 — killed September 15, 1997, inside the Human Resources office at R.E. Phelon Company, Aiken, South Carolina.
- David Wayne Moore, 30 — killed September 15, 1997, in the tool-and-die area at R.E. Phelon Company, Aiken, South Carolina.
- Ernest (Earnest) Leonard Filyaw, 31 — killed September 15, 1997, in the tool-and-die area at R.E. Phelon Company, Aiken, South Carolina.
- Esther Sheryl (“Sheryl/Cheryl”) Wood, 27 — killed September 15, 1997, near a doorway inside R.E. Phelon Company, Aiken, South Carolina.
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