4 reportedly dead; officials say gunman shot himself as police approached

People are seen being evacuated from Hartford Distributors, Inc., in Manchester, Conn., Tuesday.

MANCHESTER, Conn. — Seven people were shot and four are reportedly dead after a worker opened fire at a beer distribution company in Manchester, Conn., around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The shooter is among the dead, officials confirmed to NBC News.

A company executive said a warehouse worker who had been called to resign opened fire at Hartford Distributors Inc., located at 131 Chapel Road in Manchester, about 10 miles east of Hartford, Conn.

State police told the Hartford Courant that the suspect, Omar Thornton, 34, shot himself as police approached. He had been accused of stealing and was going to have a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, sources told NBC Connecticut.

A Hartford Hospital spokesperson said three shooting victims had been transported to the hospital between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. One of the victims is dead, another is in serious condition and a third is in fair condition, according to Hartford Hospital spokesperson Michaela Donnelly.

Brett Hollander, Hartford Distributors' director of marketing, said about 50 to 70 people were in the warehouse at the time of the shooting Tuesday morning and that shifts were just changing.