The suspected gunman shot eight people before killing himself in the 7:30am rampage at Hartford Distributors, a family-owned beer wholesaler 10 miles/1.6 km east of the state capital, said Christopher Davis of the Manchester Police Department.

The Hartford Courant identified the gunman as Omar Thornton, 34, recently hired by the company as a driver. A Teamsters Union official said Thornton had been headed to a disciplinary meeting when he started shooting.

Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell issued a statement of condolence to the victims' families. "It was a senseless act of violence that has left us all shaken and reminds us just how precious and fragile life truly is."