Mueller Water Products Spokesperson Yolada Kokayi said the company will be covering funeral and medical expenses of the victims and families involved in last weeks' shooting at Henry Pratt Co. Victim and family assistance and support channels have been created, as well.
Five employees were killed and one employee was injured Feb. 15, when Gary Martin, 45, opened fire at Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora, Ill. Kokayi said the employee injured in the shooting has since been released from the hospital. Additionally, five Aurora police officers were injured when responding to the call, and all but one of them have been released from hospital care, according to the Aurora Police Department.
Kokayi said the Henry Pratt Co. building will be open for any employees who wish to spend time with their colleagues in a familiar environment. She said production would be halted for the week, and will tentatively begin again next Monday, Feb. 25.
Read the full, verbatim release from Mueller Water Products below:
Mueller Water Products and the Henry Pratt community continue to grieve from the tragic shooting that took place on Friday. The lives lost were not only our employees, but also fathers, husbands, grandfathers, brothers, sons and our friends. Their loss has left a huge void in us all.
We are comforted that our colleague receiving care for his injuries has returned home from the hospital to his family. We admire his bravery in this impossible situation.
We are committed to ensuring Mueller facilities are safe places to come to work to every day. In the days, weeks and months ahead, we will be reviewing what happened, our security protocols at our different locations and assessing how we can enhance safety.
Henry Pratt employees are invited to the facility on Monday as an opportunity to come together and support each other. Members of the Mueller leadership team will be at the facility, and counseling will be available on-site through the week.
For the remainder of the week, our doors will be open for any employees who would like to spend time with their colleagues or simply return to a familiar environment. We will not be returning to full production this week. We tentatively plan to return to a normal schedule next Monday, and as those details are finalized, we will be communicating them directly with employees.
Victim and Family Support
Our leadership and HR teams spent the weekend reaching out to and meeting with the families of the victims to express our deepest condolences and support. Additional efforts to support them include:
- Establishing a family support center in Aurora, where the families can go to be together during this difficult time.
- Committing to cover the cost of the funerals, medical expenses of the victims and additional assistance to their families.
- Putting plans in place to set up an employee support fund in the coming days; 100 percent of the proceeds will go directly to the families.
- Coordinating with the FBI Office for Victim Assistance and Kane County Sheriff’s Office to offer additional counseling, financial services support, victim advocates, Red Cross health and spiritual services, and immediate and long-term mental health services.
Employee Support
As many Mueller Water Products employees in other locations across the country return to work on Monday with heavy hearts, we are offering all employees and their families the opportunity to participate in employee assistance programs. We are also providing grief counseling services in the locations most closely impacted by this tragedy.
