Long overdue update in Everyday Things

It's been a good while since I last updated, but I just don't have the time anymore to sit down and write. I barely have time to catch up on my faves. I can usually read one or two entries a day if that lol.

I finally have the time to write about what happened during the shooting at the Fedex complex on Tuesday, April the 29th.

I usually arrive at work anywhere between 6:10 and 6:25. I grab my things and go through the security shack and make my way to the truck and start getting ready for the day. As I made my way down the street towards my job, I noticed a huge mixture and red and blue lights blocking the driveway to the terminal. My initial thinking was that of a really bad car accident with injuries. I flagged down a nearby car and asked them what was going on. They told me there were reports of a shooting at the building with multiple injuries. I wasn't sure what to think, so I pulled my car into the parking lot across the street and started conversing with my fellow co-workers.

The people who load our trucks in the morning had already been evacuated from the building and were standing outside in the grass across from the terminal. Here's what I've heard.

--The shooter had a shotgun and a couple of handguns on him.

--He was a package handler who targeted his boss. I also found out he had a knife and was planning to kill his boss from behind before he was spotted on one of the upper levels of the terminal.

--There were multiple victims and all but two had minor injuries.

--One of the contractors was able to wrestle the shotgun away from the shooter.

As we conversed outside, we were told to make our way to the nearby flight school and hangout there until further notice. They had no idea if the shooter was hiding in the terminal, so they just wanted to close access to the building until everything was secured. We were also told they would treat the building as a crime scene and would not allow anyone near the property until the investigation was over.

When we made our way to the flight school, we were all ordered to give out our names and phone numbers to the officers standing by. We were given instructions to remain calm and call our family members first thing as soon as we could. By this time, the shooting was reported everywhere. My sister called me and asked if I was okay, and I had a breakdown because I never knew something like this could happen where I worked.

We hear on the news all the time of a shooting at a mall, or a movie theater, or a school happening somewhere in the country. It's usually hundreds of miles away and is rarely something we think could happen where we live. The only other shooting I could remember happening close by was the school shooting at Heritage High School several years ago. Even though I had arrived 30 minutes after the shooting, I was still shaken that someone decided to starting shooting where we work.

Anyway, I talked to my sister for a while then made several phone calls and texts to my loved ones and letting them know I was okay. A short while later, we were told that we would be transported to a local skating rink where we can arrange to be picked up by friends and family until further notice. The local police would carry on an investigation that could take up the rest of the day before releasing the building and all of our personal property. Eventually, we were shuttled to the nearby skating rink where we were greeted by members of the local news media. In fact, I was requested on two separate occasions to be interviewed, but I declined. I just wanted to get some breakfast and go home.

Since I lived an hour away, my boss asked if I just wanted to hangout for a while in case we could go back to our cars later in the day. I told him I just wanted to go home, but in retrospect, it would have been better to get a hotel for the day. At any rate, I stood by my decision to go home, so he dropped me off at the nearest Marta station. I took the train to the end of the Blue Line then made my way to my other job via bus, so my sister could pick me up.

After I made it home, I took a five hour nap; my boss called and said they released the building back to FedEx, and we were allowed to go back and pick up our cars. My sister drove me back to Kennesaw to pick up my car, and I decided to go ahead and get the hotel after all...heh.

So that was the rundown of what happened on Tuesday. The shooter committed suicide, and all of the morning loaders were given the day off the next day. We were provided with grief counselors and greeted with tighter security the next day. All drivers worked that Wednesday and we ran whatever was on the truck from Tuesday. We didn't receive any additional freight, so we were good to go as soon as we arrived at the terminal. Thursday and Friday were hectic though.

Since we didn't run on Tuesday, we were given double the freight on Thursday and Friday. We were also told we would run on Saturday to make up for Tuesday's shooting. By the time Saturday evening rolled around, I was exhausted. I'll sum up Thursday-Saturday in bullets.

*I actually finished around the usual time, but I had ran out of gas in the delivery van. I made it back to the terminal to fill up the van, but it wouldn't start. I was stranded there for a couple of hours and had to leave the van where it was until the next morning. I didn't get home until 11 and had to be up at 4:30 the next morning.

*Friday wasn't too bad except I had to help a couple of my fellow drivers with their deliveries. This was also the point where I really wanted to snap at anyone who asked about the shooting.

Question #1: Did you know the shooter or the victims?

Question #2: Were you there when it happened?

Question #3: Do you know why he did it?

Question #4: Is that the terminal you work at?

Question #5: Is everyone okay?

Question #6: Did the guy work there, or was he a random person?

I was just...tired of it all. I had a lot of pent up frustration and was just tired of having to answer the same questions over and over. To give you some perspective, I usually have about 50 delivery stops to customers I interact with on a personal basis. These deliveries usually take no time, but it felt like every single customer I delivered to wanted to ask me about what happened.

Anyway, since we had to work Saturday, I had to get up at 4:30 and get to the terminal at the regular time. My boss told me I didn't have to deliver everything that day, but I had to do a minimum of 40 deliveries in order to get paid for that day. I basically worked from 7-4 and stopped by O'Charley's for a well-deserved lunch. Even though I didn't get home until 7, I felt better after it was all said and done.

Flash forward to today, and I don't get asked about the shooting as much. I'll get the occasional question about it, but it has definitely died down. I'm just glad we were finally able to go back to normal.

Anyway, it's time for me to get ready for bed. I just figured I would finally write about what happened from my perspective. Goodnight everyone!