A shooting spress left eight people dead. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

A forklift operator was among eight people killed during a former co-worker's shooting spree at Hartford Distributors Inc in Manchester, reports the Journal Inquirer.

Beer delivery driver Omar Thornton, 34, resigned under pressure on 3 August after company-hired private investigators verified Thornton was stealing and reselling product. Thornton had secreted two 9mm handguns in the workplace, used a ruse to re-enter the building while being escorted out and soon began shooting in the warehouse.

Thornton walked through the stacks of beer pallets and trucks and shot at several more people, according to a police lieutenant. One man was driving a forklift when Thornton shot at him. In an unsuccessful attempt to escape, the unidentified operator flung himself from the equipment.

The forklift crashed into an electrical conduit and started a fire that began to spread up the wall of the building.

Subsequently, police found that Thornton had ended his life, turning one of the guns on himself.