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Gunman Arrested After Phoenix Workplace Shooting

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Nov 2, 2006 12:32 pm US/Eastern

Gunman Arrested After Phoenix Workplace Shooting

PHOENIX (AP) ―

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A gunman wounded two workers outside an office Thursday morning, and police later arrested a suspect who recently worked in the building as a security guard.

Michael Blas Rivera surrendered at his apartment complex, roughly six miles from the Pitney Bowes office where the shooting occurred more than two hours earlier, police said.

Rivera, 31, had worked at the office as a security guard but recently quit. Detective Stacie Derge said he pulled up in a car in the office's parking lot, exited the vehicle and fired a semiautomatic rifle at two people outside.

The victims, a contracted security guard and a Pitney Bowes employee, were taken to the hospital in critical condition. One was in stable condition by the afternoon while the other was undergoing surgery, Derge said.

"I don't know if he knew these employees," said Phoenix police Sgt. Joel Tranter. "One of these (victims) was a relatively new employee. But it's not a random act that he just chose this business."

Rivera had called 911 before his arrest, police said, but they would not disclose what he said.

His brother-in-law, Alberto Martinez, said Rivera has several guns and rifles but "it's all legal."

"There's no way he's the guy," Martinez said. "He's not that type of guy. He's down to earth. He ain't going to shoot nobody for no reason."

Pitney Bowes spokeswoman Sheryl Battles said there are about 150 employees who work at the building where the shooting occurred but no one else was injured. The company shut down the office for the day and was providing counseling, she said.

Stamford, Conn.-based Pitney Bowes Inc., a maker of postage meters and shipping systems, has more than 35,000 employees worldwide. The Phoenix office handles sales, document management and other services.

Security guards in Arizona must complete eight hours of training and submit to an FBI background check.