Joseph Ferguson

Mass Murderer

Joseph Ferguson and the 2001 Sacramento Shooting Spree

Background

Joseph Ferguson was a 20-year-old former security guard who carried out a deadly shooting spree across the Sacramento, California, area between September 8 and September 10, 2001. During the attacks, Ferguson killed five people, wounded a law-enforcement officer and a civilian bystander, abducted another security guard, and held two people hostage before taking his own life. Ferguson grew up in the Sacramento area and obtained a California private-security permit in March 1999. He was employed by Burns International Security, where several of his eventual victims also worked. Those familiar with him described him as socially isolated and intensely interested in weapons and military equipment. In the days before the killings, Ferguson experienced a personal and professional crisis. His girlfriend and fellow Burns security guard, 20-year-old Nina Susu, ended their relationship. Ferguson reportedly reacted by damaging Susu's automobile with an ax. After Susu reported the incident, Burns International Security suspended Ferguson from his position on September 7, 2001. Ferguson had also made threatening statements about Susu and other employees. Susu and company officials contacted authorities with their concerns. Because Ferguson did not have a significant criminal record and had not yet committed an offense that resulted in his arrest, he remained free. One day after his suspension, he began his attack.

The First Shootings

At approximately 11:20 p.m. on Saturday, September 8, 2001, Sacramento police received reports of gunfire at a city equipment and corporation yard guarded by Burns International Security. Officers arriving at the facility discovered two female security guards who had been shot multiple times. One of the victims was Nina Susu, Ferguson's former girlfriend. The second was 32-year-old Marsha Jackson, another Burns security employee. Both women were wearing their security uniforms and were unarmed when they were attacked. Investigators recovered several types of ammunition at the scene, indicating that Ferguson had brought multiple firearms to the facility. After killing Susu and Jackson, Ferguson took a Burns security vehicle and drove away from the corporation yard. The killings appeared to have been partly motivated by his anger toward Susu and the company, although his subsequent conduct showed that he intended to extend the violence beyond the initial confrontation.

The Miller Park Marina Murders

Ferguson next traveled to Miller Park Marina along the Sacramento River. There, he encountered Burns security guard George Bernardino, 48, and marina employee John Derek Glimstad, 19. Both men were fatally shot during the early hours of September 9. Bernardino was working his assigned security post when Ferguson arrived. Glimstad was a young marina worker who was not connected to Ferguson's employment dispute. Investigators found the two men dead near the marina and recovered a firearm and additional ammunition from the area. The attacks at the corporation yard and marina occurred within a relatively short period. By the time police connected the scenes, Ferguson had killed four people and was moving through Sacramento with several weapons, ammunition, protective equipment, and access to stolen vehicles. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

George Bernardino 48 yr old Male

2001 Sacramento shootings - Wikipedia