MERIDIAN, Miss. (July 10) - He made threatening remarks at work and was reprimanded. Anger counseling didn't seem to help: co-workers said they continued to fear him.

Doug Williams, the 48-year-old assembly-line worker at a Lockheed Martin aircraft parts plant, had a troubled past long before he walked through the factory this week, spraying gunfire at colleagues.

Five people were killed and nine others injured in Tuesday's rampage before Williams turned the 12-gauge shotgun on himself. That morning he had attended a business ethics meeting on how to get along with co-workers.

''You could see something in his face. He snapped,'' said Hubert Threatt, a union shop steward who had worked with Williams for 15 years and pleaded with him not to shoot people.

Tuesday was not the first time Williams had had problems at work and company officials know of at least two prior incidents over his 19-year career there, said Dain Hancock, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

A community memorial service for the victims was to be held Thursday at First Baptist Church in Meridian.

Williams, who was white, had undergone anger counseling at least once in the past couple of years, frustrated because he thought black people had a leg up in society, co-workers said.

They said Williams also was angry that he had been passed over for promotions at the plant. Co-workers said he kept ''score'' on whoever he thought was offending him.

Hancock said the 2001 confrontation was the only one listed in Williams' personnel file, but that a June 12 incident in which Williams wore a white covering over his head had been reported. He said another employee found the covering offensive. Co-workers have said the covering resembled clothing worn by Ku Klux Klansmen.

Williams chose to leave rather than remove the covering, Hancock said. In what Hancock called a mutual agreement, Williams did not return to work for about five or six days.

''Both incidents were taken seriously and handled promptly,'' Hancock said. ''This company does not tolerate harassment.''

Threatt said other employees had expressed concerns to managers about Williams over the years. Threatt said company counselors came to the plant two years ago to work with Williams.

Threatt said Williams was generally quiet after the counseling but once told him: ''One of these days, they're going to (expletive) me off and I'm going to come here and shoot some people.''

On Tuesday, Williams sat in a meeting with managers, listening to them explain the importance of being honest and responsible in the workplace. Also on the agenda: getting along with co-workers, regardless of their sex or race.

At some point during the meeting Williams walked out of the room, telling co-workers, ''Y'all can handle this.''

Minutes later, he returned with a shotgun and a rifle. He sprayed the room with shotgun blasts, killing two people, and then continued the rampage on the factory floor, leaving three more co-workers dead before taking his own life.

''He said, 'I told you about (expletive) with me,''' said co-worker Brenda Dubose, who had been in the meeting and was shot in the hand.

hmmm...

after reading this article does this guy sound like some right wing guy who listens to too much Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage?

Granted I listen to those guys sometimes.  But I'm not like this guy at ALL.

It seems like this dude may be one of these ticked off blue collar types looking to point the finger at someone else.

Opinions?

Along with DC, Toaist and a few others on this site, I think my ideas are pretty far left. I think it is ridiculous to associate this one man's actions with the Republican party. He was a whacked out white supremesist SOB, but to imply that this somehow incriminates the Republican party is offensive to me! I'm about as far from Republican as they come and I found this offensive!

Why not use the American soldier who commited fratracide to incriminate the left? You're doing no better here.

I agree with John!
This guy may have been a , but his actions don't reflect on any of the many groups to which he belongs.

This kind of reasoning is used far too often as a very weak attack on an opposing group. (It was even used by a couple of congressmen (persons?) a while back)

This situation can be taken on different levels (religious, social and racial to name a few). The guy was obviously neurotic - who else would keep such an account of personal offences?

I totally agree with the above.

The guy may have been a Republican - probably was - but that does not implicate the Republican party in his actions.  On the other hand, the Republicans' drift to the right (beginning with Barry Goldwater), Trent Lott's "segregationist" comments at Strom's party, the reaction of some regarding the Supreme Court decision on sodomy, Bush's stance on the Affirmative Action case (U of Michigan) all attract this sort of deranged people (not that there  aren't deranged Democrates) to the Repub. party.  

But I think the problem goes deeper.  IMHO the advances that people of color have achieved scare some insecure, especially working class whites who are white supremists.  This also has to do with their level of education and the state of the economy.  I have said this before in several threads (and generated much heat) but I'll say it again.  Race is the great divide in the U.S. and needs to be actively confronted.  I have also praised Mr. Bush for his inclusion of people of color in his administration, even though I disagree with them.  Mr Bush certainly could have found equally competent  "whites" to fill those positions.