OSU shooter fired at least nine rounds, police say

Nathaniel A. Brown fired at least eight rounds into a crowded room of cubicles before he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger one last time, according to reports released by police and the county coroner's office Thursday.

Many of the shots from Brown's two handguns struck Larry Wallington, 48, in the neck and head, said Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak. Wallington was Brown's supervisor at Ohio State.

One round struck 60-year-old Henry Butler, but police are unsure whether he was a target or if he was caught in crossfire.

Brown, a custodial worker at OSU, shot his bosses in the office in the Maintenance Building at 2000 Tuttle Park Place one week after he learned he would be fired.

Investigators found three spent shells from a Glock .45-caliber handgun at the crime scene, with 22 rounds left in its extended magazine. Police also found six shells from a Ruger 9 mm handgun, which was left with six rounds in its magazine.

It is unknown if the guns were registered to Brown, said Richard Morman, deputy chief for OSU Police.

Police searched Brown's home in the North Linden area on Wednesday and discovered two notes Brown wrote. The notes were apologetic and indicated that parts of the attack were planned, Morman said.

University officials announced Thursday that Brown was hired as a temporary worker at OSU in December 2008 and worked on and off until he was hired as a full-time employee in October 2009. He went through two background checks in that process, but neither revealed that he spent five years in prison beginning in 1979.

The oversight may be a result of conflicting dates of birth. Police say that some of Brown's records say he was born June 4, 1959, while others say he was born June 5.

During the background checks, OSU officials used the date of birth on Brown's driver's license, according to a release from Shelly Hoffman, assistant vice president for Media Relations at OSU.

It is unclear whether that information matched the date of birth on Brown's criminal record.
Police will release no more information about the shooting until the case is closed, said OSU Police Chief Paul Denton. He said it could be several months before the investigation is completed.