ST. PAUL, Minn. - The parents of a man who killed six people before committing suicide in Minnesota's worst workplace shooting say they tried for years to persuade him to seek psychiatric help, but he refused.
Andrew Engeldinger killed himself at the end of a rampage through Accent Signage Systems that began when he was fired Sept. 27 for lateness and poor performance. Two of his other victims survived.
Chuck and Carolyn Engeldinger told Minnesota Public Radio in an interview that aired Tuesday that their son had shown signs of mental illness for many years. They believe he had schizophrenia, though he never submitted to being diagnosed.
"The person he became bore no resemblance to the son we knew and raised," Carolyn Engeldinger said. "He was never violent, just a normal little kid who brought us a lot of joy."
The Engeldingers say they couldn't get him committed because he was over 18 and had not been a danger to himself or others before the shootings.
An edited transcript of the interview the Engeldingers did with Cathy Wurzer can be found on the MPR website.
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