News Local/State

Georgetown Man Shoots Boss, Kills Self In Performance Meeting

 

A longtime Georgetown chemical plant employee shot his company's CEO during a performance evaluation, before committing suicide when he turned a handgun on himself.

Vermilion County Sheriff Pat Hartshorn says the shooting at DynaChem Inc. took place Thursday afternoon.  

Hartshorn says 65-year old Wayne Woodson of Georgetown shot DynaChem president and CEO Keith Rife before turning the gun on himself.  Rife was hospitalized for gunshot wounds to his head and hip. His injuries aren't considered life-threatening.
 
Investigators say Woodson worked for DynaChem for more than two decades. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:30 p.m. by Vermilion County Coroner Peggy Johnson.
 
Hartshorn says authorities are still investigating what prompted the attack, which they say happened behind closed doors. He says "all we know is something went wrong in the performance evaluation.''
 
DynaChem is a privately held industrial chemical maker about 30 miles southeast of Champaign. It has about 50 employees.