Kansas Lawnmower Factory Shooting Leaves Four Dead And 14 Seriously Injured


The Kansas lawnmower factory shooting left a quiet rural community stunned.

At 4:57 p.m. on Thursday, February 25, Cedric Ford perched his automatic rifle through the window of a gray Dodge vehicle, and fired into two other vehicles. He then fled the first of five crime scenes in rural Newton and Hesston Kansas, leaving his first shooting victim shot in the shoulder. No one in the other car was injured in the shooting. CNN reported that 38-year-old Ford then traveled about two miles before shooting another man in the leg.

Only minutes later, the Kansas lawnmower factory shooter entered Excel Industries a manufacturer of lawnmowers and other lawn care equipment, and opened fire on employees in a seemingly random fashion. Ford himself was an employee of Excel and had been at the factory two hours earlier, talking very casually to a co-worker, Matt Jarrell about his new pick up truck, as they prepared to clock in for their shift. Jarrell and Ford both worked as painters at Excel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yMaR9iB5cw

A photo from Cedric Ford's own Facebook page this is his gun. Probably the one used in the shooting.
A photo from Cedric Ford’s own Facebook page this is his gun. Probably the one used in the shooting. (Image via Facebook)

Jarrell told reporters for the Hesston Record newspaper, that he noticed Ford’s absence about two hours after clocking in. Ford was supposed to relieve Jarrell so that he could take a break. Unable to find his coworker, Jarrell went outside and saw that Ford’s new truck was missing from the parking lot, then he observed that Jarrell had returned in a different vehicle. Jarrell was shocked to see Cedric armed.

“He just parked and then opened up the door, hopped out with the gun on, strapped-up and everything.”

Ford yelled “hey” at a co-worker and then shot them right in front of Jarrell.

“I witnessed him shoot the shots. I saw the shell casings come out of the assault rifle. I mean, that vivid. I can still see it.”

Then there were those few terrifying moments when the Kansas lawnmower factory shooting was in progress. Employees were at first confused by the noise of gunfire, thinking the shooting was metal falling. Then there was blood, and people running and falling, then more shooting. But at 5:06, less than 10 minutes since the first drive by shooting, a single Kansas officer took down Cedric Ford. The officer’s name has not been released to the public, but Sheriff Walton stated that his quick response saved many, many lives.

Harvey County Sherriff, T. Walton, updated KWCH News on the victims of last night’s Kansas lawn mower factory shooting. 4 people, including the shooter, were killed at Excel Industries. Fourteen others were injured. Of those, six are being treated at Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita – two of those are in critical condition, four are stable. Wesley Medical Center has three critical patients from this incident and another patient is in surgery. Newton Medical Center is treating four others.

Cedric Ford's hand gun. (Image via Facebook)
Cedric Ford’s hand gun. (Image via Facebook)

About two hours later, a SWAT team was called out to Cedric Ford’s mobile home where his roommate had refused police entry into the home. A three-hour standoff ensued, with one or more people inside the mobile home. That situation was not resolved until 10:47.

Though no one who knew him in Kansas was aware of it, Cedric Ford had a record in Florida 1996-2000. His previous crimes included burglary, grand theft, fleeing, and eluding.

The small towns of Hesston and Newton had schools, colleges, and medical facilities in their area on lock down yesterday evening following the Kansas lawnmower factory shooting. Citizens were shaken and the town is in mourning. The Excel Industries lawnmower facility will be closed, at least until the investigation is completed.

The Kansas lawnmower factory shooting has shocked and devastated a small community in Kansas.

[Image via Facebook]

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