North Florida shooter left note listing victims, officials say
The 72-year-old man who went on a deadly shooting rampage in North Florida, killing three people, including himself, left what sheriff’s officials are calling a “suicide note†that shows the rampage was “calculated.â€
Hubert Allen Jr., a longtime employee of Pritchett Trucking Inc., shot and killed former co-workers in and around Lake Butler on Saturday, according to a statement from the Union County Sheriff’s Department.
On Monday, Maj. Gary Seay, an undersheriff with Union County Sheriff’s Office, told The Los Angeles Times that authorities found a hand-written note in Allen’s home that laid out his intentions.
On the note, Allen wrote, “These people deserve to die,†before listing the names of victims he planned to shoot.
“Then he said he deserved to die, and it was all going to take place on the 24th at 8:30 in the morning,†Seay said. “We got notified at 9:21 a.m. That’s when our first call came in.â€
Seay said one person listed on the note was never contacted by Allen. Authorities believe Allen retired from his job at Pritchett Trucking about nine days before the rampage.
Shortly after 9 a.m., Allen arrived at a location owned by Marvin Pritchett, his former boss. Police say he shot and killed Rolando Gonzalez-Delgado, 28, a former co-worker, then fatally shot Pritchett, 80.
Moments later, Allen encountered Lewis Mabrey Jr., 66, a former co-worker who was driving a farm tractor. Allen had a verbal exchange with Mabrey then shot him with a single bullet, according to police. Mabrey was taken to a hospital and was presumed to still be in stable condition Monday, sheriff’s officials said.
Allen then traveled to the headquarters of Pritchett Trucking Inc. in Lake Butler where he shot at a fourth co-worker, David Griffis, 44. Griffis was hospitalized and was believed to be in critical condition as of Monday, sheriff’s officials said.
Allen’s rampage ended when he killed himself at his Lake Butler home, police said.
Lake Butler is the seat of Union County, Florida’s smallest county, in a sparsely populated area about 50 miles southwest of Jacksonville. Seay estimated that only about 1,500 people live in Lake Butler and only about 25,000 live in the rural county.
“I know them all,†Seay said of area residents. “I’ve been working in this sheriff’s office for 30 years. I’ve been knowing him [Allen] ever since I’ve been working here and he’s never been a problem in the community.â€
Seay described Allen as “laid back†and “law abiding†-- noting that deputies only ever made contact with him as a victim. He said Allen and the men he killed “all seemed to get along.â€
“That’s what’s really bothering us the most,†Seay said. “We haven’t gotten the motive put together yet because all of them were friends and knew each other.â€
Seay said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Union County Sheriff’s Office are continuing their investigation. “Everything’s in the crime labs. We’re working it, trying to come up with something. At this point in time, the story’s about the same.â€
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Twitter: @MattStevensLAT
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