Here is more information, including a timeline, after the Aurora Police Department press conferences about the ongoing investigation of the workplace shooting which took place on Aurora’s near West Side Friday, Feb. 15.
The Aurora Police press conference Saturday, Feb. 16 can be viewed by clicking here.
Here is a timeline of events, according to the Aurora Police Department:
• At 1:24 p.m., Friday, Feb. 15, the Aurora Police Department received multiple calls of an active shooter at the Henry Pratt Manufacturing and Warehouse building, located at 641 Archer Ave.
• Approximately four minutes later, the first officers arrived on scene and were immediately confronted by Gary Martin, a 45-year-old Aurora man armed with a handgun. The male fired upon the officers as they arrived, striking two of the four first responders.
• Additional Aurora police officers responded to assist in an attempt to rescue the wounded officers and render aid. As additional law enforcement arrived at the scene, they continued to report gunfire heard within the building.
• A regional law enforcement response was coordinated, and several teams of officers went inside the 29,000 square foot facility in an attempt to locate and stop the shooter. Aurora officers, along with officers from the Naperville Police Department ultimately confronted the offender inside the building at which time he fired at them. The officers returned fire, killing the offender.
• In total, five Aurora police officers were shot by the gunman before this incident ended. All of the officers have been transported to area hospitals for treatment for apparent non-life-threatening injuries.
• No injuries to first responders from other agencies have been reported.
• Aurora Police have confirmed five employees were located deceased inside the building and one employee is being treated at an area hospital for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
• The investigation into the officer-involved portion of this shooting incident is being conducted by the Kane County Officer-Involved Shooting Task Force. Investigators from the Aurora Police Department, with the assistance of the ATF, FBI, and Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office are conducting the investigation into the workplace shooting incident which precipitated the Aurora Police Response. Investigators have also obtained a search warrant for the offender’s residence in an attempt to locate any evidence which might further the investigation.
• The investigation includes a search for and collection of evidence at a very large crime scene at the Henry Pratt building.
— Here is updated information from the press conference Saturday, Feb. 16 on the condition of Aurora Police officers who are being treated for their injuries related to the Friday, Feb. 15 shooting incident:
All five of our officers are recovering and are under the care of physicians in the Chicago metro area:
• Officer 1 – Male, 39 years of age with 13 years of service here at the Aurora Police Department. This officer suffered a gunshot wound to his lower extremity and is in stable condition at a local hospital.
• Officer 2 – Male, 52 years of age with 25 years of service at the Aurora Police Department. This officer suffered a gunshot wound to his upper extremity. He was treated and will be released from the hospital later this morning.
• Officer 3 – Male, 52 years old with 24 years of service here at the Aurora Police Department, suffered a gunshot wound to the lower extremity. He was treated and released from a local hospital yesterday.
• Officer 4, – Male, 53 years of age with 30 years of service. This officer also suffered a gunshot wound to the lower extremity and was treated at an area hospital.
• Officer 5, – Male, 24 years of age with just under 4 years of service. This officer suffered a series of shrapnel wounds to the upper extremity. He is currently being treated and is in stable condition at a local hospital.
• Officer 6, – Male, 23 years of age with 2 years of police service here at the Aurora Police Department suffered a minor injury while responding to the incident. This injury was not related to gunfire.
All of the officers’ injuries are considered non-life-threatening.
Here is information regarding the employees of Henry Pratt who were victims of the February 15 shooting.
• Clayton Parks, of Elgin Illinois. Mr. Parks was the Human Resources Manager at Henry Pratt.
• Trevor Wehner, of Dekalb, Illinois. Mr. Wehner was a Human Resources Intern at Henry Pratt and a student at Northern Illinois University.
• Russell Beyer, of Yorkville, Illinois. Mr. Beyer was a Mold Operator at Henry Pratt.
• Vicente Juarez of Oswego, Illinois. Mr. Juarez was a Stock Room Attendant and Fork Lift Operator at Henry Pratt.
• Josh Pinkard, of Oswego, Illinois. Mr. Pinkard was the Plant Manager for Henry Pratt.
• Another shooting victim, a male employee of Henry Pratt, was treated at an area hospital for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds sustained during the shooting incident.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the deceased victims were located in the same general area of the Henry Pratt facility. While this investigation is ongoing, we believe that there was only one assailant.
Here is what Aurora Police know about the shooter:
Gary Montez Martin
• 45 years of age
• Lived in the 1900 block of Selmarten Road, Aurora
• Six prior arrests by the Aurora Police Department, including arrests for traffic and domestic violence related issues. Last arrest in Aurora in 2008 for violating an order of protection.
• Last arrest in 2017 by the Oswego, Illinois Police Department for Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Damage to Property.
Regarding the weapon used during the shooting event:
• January, 2014 the shooter was issued an Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card.
• On March 6, 2014, the shooter applied to purchase a handgun from a local gun dealer in Aurora.
• On March 11, 2014, the shooter took possession of a Smith and Wesson 40 caliber handgun from that same local dealer.
• On March 16, 2014, the shooter applied for a concealed carry permit at an unknown location. During the fingerprinting and background process it was discovered that he had a felony conviction for Aggravated Assault out of Mississippi. The date of that conviction was August 3, 1995. (It should be noted that this conviction would not necessarily have shown up on a criminal background check conducted for a FOID card)
• Once this felony conviction was discovered, the offender’s concealed carry permit was rejected, and his FOID card was revoked by the Illinois State Police.
Help with the firearm was provided by Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brendan Iber, of the ATF Chicago Field Division.
The FBI has provided resources to victims associated with this event:
For victims looking for assistance, please email:
victimservices@fbi.gov (please enter: Aurora Victim)
For anyone having information related to this incident, please email: tips@fbi.gov (please enter: Aurora Tips in the subject line)
