Kind of an unreal day.

I should be really upset, but I'm not. I used to know a guy who would come to a bar that was owned by a friend of mine, I was always at the door for the first few years and eventually moved into the DJ booth...it was this club that inspired me to open my own. Anyway, the guy, Mike, used to come in and hang out with us.

So today I was on my way to meet my best friend for lunch--he just moved back from Kansas City after eight years, so I thought maybe I'd even spring for the lunch. OK, so, I'm driving past the G&M bodyshop Mike owned and I notice a bunch of cop cars; I just kind of figured he didn't pay his taxes, although I don't know why that came to mind. I was running late and the cops looked like they were just standing around, so I kept driving. When I got to the restaurant Craig (the best friend) says, "hey, did you here about the shooting at G&M?"

Police don't seem to know what happened yet, I asked a couple of buddies I have in the Sheriffs Dept, they had know idea. But the upshot is a guy who used to hang out with us a couple of times a week was gunned down today. I know I should be freaked out, but right now it just doesn't seem real.

The story:


March 20, 2009

Business owner, worker killed today

MansfieldNewsJournal.com

ONTARIO — Cynthia Hildreth walked into the middle of a shooting Friday afternoon inside G&M Body and Paint Shop, 1689 W. Fourth St.

Owner Michael Martin, 54, of Ontario and Bruce Pryor, 48, were both pronounced dead at MedCentral/Mansfield Hospital, according to Ontario Police Chief Rodney Smith.

The chief said authorities have no reason to believe anyone else was involved in the shooting, other than the two men. That could make the incident a murder-suicide, though Smith declined comment on that prospect.

"We believe the alteracation was between two people inside (the business)," Smith said.

Hildreth, a temporary employee, called 9-1-1 after she heard yelling and then shots fired at the back of the business at 12:22 p.m., the chief said.

Police found the two men shot in adjoining rooms. Their bodies are being sent for autopsy at the Summit County Coroner's Office, Smith said.

Police recovered three handguns.

The hospital's emergency room was "locked down" with the arrival of the two shooting victims, according to MedCentral sources. The rest of the hospital functioned normally.

Stay with www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com for updates on this story.

Wow, that does make for a strange day.