Yvonne Hiller Identified As Shooter in Kraft Shooting

by Amy Judd | September 10, 2010 at 07:33 am

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Update: 11:21am PT

Yvonne Hiller has been charged with murder in the deaths of two women at the Kraft Foods Baking Plant on Thursday night.

The two women have been identified as LaTonya Brown, 36 and Tanya Wilson, 47. Bryant Dalton, 39 was injured in the shooting and he is in critical condition.

It has now been revealed that Hiller was involved in an argument with three of her co-workers, which led to her suspension. When she returned to the plant with a gun she found the three in a break room, along with a fourth. She told the fourth to get out and then just started shooting.

Hiller apparently believed that for years the other co-workers had been talking behind her back and spraying her with chemicals. She had been employed at the plant for 15 years.

Original Story From Friday Morning:

Yvonne Hiller Had Just Been Suspended From Her Job at the Kraft Foods Baking Plant in Philadelphia When She Returned With a Gun and Killed Two Co-Workers

Two more were also injured in the shooting at the Kraft factory according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, who also report that workers at the plant have identified the shooter as Hiller. The two women who were killed have not been identified at this time; the third was a man who was shot in the neck and shoulder. A fourth person was injured but is not considered critical.

Hiller has now been taken into custody.

The Kraft plant, located at 12000 Roosevelt Blvd, was operational at the time, and seven employees were trapped inside a quality-control room during the shooting. They all managed to escape unharmed.

"This is a sad day for the Kraft Foods family," Susan Davison, the company's director of corporate affairs, said in a statement e-mailed to The Inquirer. "We are very sad to report that two employees died as a result of this incident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families."

Yvonne Hiller was suspended at about 8:35pm on Thursday night and was escorted from the premises according to Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey who spoke to the Inquirer . It is not known why she was suspended but just nine minutes later, Hiller returned with a .357 Magnum handgun, drove through the fence, went up to the third floor of the Kraft factory and just opened fire on her fellow co-workers. She had also worked on the third floor as a mixer.

"I don't know what her motive is and I don't want to guess," Ramsey said.

There were about 100 in the building at the time, but all managed to get out except for the seven that hid in a quality-control room.

Hiller did fire at police officers when they arrived, and at one point dialed 911 and spoke to police, but after a SWAT team entered the building she was caught around 9:35pm.

The plant remains closed and delivery trucks are being diverted elsewhere.

"We are working closely with the authorities as they investigate this situation, and our facility is closed until further notice," Kraft's Davison said. "This is a tragic loss for all of us. To assist our employees, we will be providing counseling services at the facility. At this time, we are still trying to confirm the facts. We again express our deepest condolences to the families who have been touched by this tragedy."