Arturo Reyes Torres: The 1997 Caltrans Maintenance Yard Massacre
Background
Arturo Reyes Torres (born March 1956) was a 41-year-old former California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) worker. He had been employed at a state maintenance yard in Orange County, California, for roughly 15 years before being terminated following allegations he was selling scrap aluminum from the yard—about $100 worth—though this was a common practice among workers, Torres felt he had been singled out by a supervisor. On December 19, 1997, he returned to the facility armed and carried out a mass shooting.
Incident Details
On December 19, 1997, at approximately 3:15 p.m., Reyes Torres entered the Caltrans maintenance yard in Orange County, California, during a torrential rain. Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun, he circled trailers and fired through the windows, intentionally targeting employees.
More than 60 people were present in the yard at the time. Reyes Torres shot and killed four coworkers before police arrived. As he attempted to flee, a passing motorist blocked his brown Mercedes, which triggered a shootout with responding officers. He was fatally shot by police shortly after.
Victims
- Hal Bierlein, age 51 – killed at the maintenance yard.
- Wayne Bowers, age 43 – killed at the maintenance yard.
- Paul White, age 40 – killed at the maintenance yard.
- Michael Kelley, age 49 – wounded at the yard and died later at a hospital.
Additionally, two others were wounded:
- Officer John Warde – wounded during the shootout; taken to St. Joseph Hospital in stable condition.
- Reginald Tennyson, age 54 – a coworker injured and reported in fair condition.
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