Suspect in Kansas shooting had been served protection order

But on Thursday, authorities said, the Kansas man unleashed a deadly shooting spree – attacks that began shortly after authorities served him with a restraining order telling Ford to stay from his former girlfriend, who claimed he abused her. “There’s going to be a lot of sad people before this is all over”, Walton said.

Authorities have identified a man who opened fire on the central Kansas factory where he worked, killing three people and wounding many others, as 38-year-old Cedric Ford.

Hesston police chief Doug Schroeder is being called a “tremendous hero” by Walton for his efforts.

Information for this article was contributed by P. Solomon Banda, John Hanna and Heather Hollingsworth of The Associated Press.

While driving to the factory, the gunman shot a man on the street, striking him in the shoulder. Another person was reportedly shot in the leg about two miles north. Walton said that 200 to 300 people were inside the building at the time, and said he was convinced many more would have died had Ford not been shot.

Ford also was required to take an anger management class in Harvey County in 2008, after he was convicted of disorderly conduct.

Recent posts on the Facebook page also include music videos of rappers in Miami, photos of cars and pictures of a trip to the zoo with children posted in January.

Sarah Hopkins of Newton, Kansas, was arrested Friday and charged with knowingly providing a convicted felon with firearms, for which she could face up to 10 years in prison or $250,000 in fines under Kansas law, according to a court document. She’s expected to make a first court appearance Monday.

The woman checked the box on the form that indicated she had formerly been in a dating relationship with Ford and that the two had lived together. She moved out of her home with Ford in July and retrieved the guns from the house less than a month later with the help of police, the Eagle reported, citing an affidavit in the case. Hopkins is not the woman who asked law enforcement to serve the protective order, however. The elder Britton lives only three trailers down from the man authorities identified as the attacker, Cedric Ford.

– Around 3:30 p.m.: Someone from the Harvey County sheriff’s office goes to the plant and serves Ford with a protection from abuse order.

Still, Jarrell said, he never heard Ford threaten violence against his co-workers.

Ford worked second shift, in a paint booth. He said Ford arrived as scheduled on Thursday but later disappeared and was not there to relieve him so that he could take a break. Bartel said he took cover behind a vehicle as Ford entered the plant. He sped away when he saw Ford shoot someone and then enter the building.

President Barack Obama expressed his condolences for the victims Friday, but said the country can not become numb to gun violence. At that point, the gunman got a different gun and Espinoza ran.

The attack follows a mass shooting in MI last weekend, when a driver for car-hailing service Uber [UBER.UL] killed six people.

At a Wichita hospital, the son of Dennis Britton Sr.is recovering from a gunshot wound that went through his lower buttock and fractured a femur bone.

After hearing shouts, the younger Britton stepped out of a welding bay, heard a pop and “immediately went to the ground”, his father said.

The Excel Industries factory nestled in the center of this peaceful community of 3,700 founded by Mennonite farmers has always been more than an economic hub. The company is a leading maker of turf-care products and distributes its mowing products through Hustler Turf Equipment and BigDog Mower product lines, according to the company’s website.