Lawyer says going to lunch saved his life in office shooting spree
Timothy Upton usually doesn’t go home for lunch. But the Louisiana lawyer did on Tuesday, a decision he credits for saving his life when a disgruntled former client broke into his Covington office and fired some 60 bullets.
Police say Roderick Risk, 47, was looking for Upton. The office manager, who was the only employee inside Upton’s place of business, at first hid in the copy room, the lawyer said. Then, as she saw Roderick Risk walking farther back into the building, she went toward the front and hid under her desk, reports WVUE, a Fox News affiliate. She was physically uninjured but shaken.
Upton says he doesn’t know why Risk, who he represented in a civil case about nine months ago, targeted him. He says Risk called his office several days before the shooting, seeking help with some apparent criminal issues in New Orleans and sounding “very disturbed.”
Risk committed suicide after the shooting, authorities say. Upton says his heart goes out to his ex-client’s family and he is grateful no one else was hurt.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Ex-client committed suicide after breaking into law firm and firing dozens of rounds, say police”
