Memories, pain remain fresh 5 years after Pratt warehouse mass shooting in Illinois

CHICAGO — Thursday is the fifth anniversary of a day in Aurora that is difficult to remember, and impossible to forget.

Shortly after 1 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2019, a disgruntled employee upset over a disciplinary hearing opened fire on people in the hearing at the Henry Pratt Co. warehouse on the near West Side, killing four of them – Russell Beyer, Clayton Parks, Josh Pinkard and Trevor Wehner, according to officials.

After leaving the room, the employee shot and killed Vicente Juarez, who was on the loading dock, officials said. He shot a sixth employee who survived, and then the shooter took off into the warehouse where he would be chased and confronted and eventually killed during an exchange of gunfire with police, according to reports.

Five Aurora police officers – John Cebulski, Marco Gomez, James Zegar, Adam Miller and Reynaldo Rivera – were shot and injured that day. While three of them have retired, two of them remain on active duty.

More than 42 agencies responded to the shooting, although the exact number of officers was unknown.

A Federal Emergency Management Agency report done months after the incident praised the Aurora Police Department for its response to the mass shooting, but also noted communication and other issues could have been improved in the event of another similar incident.

The report described the response to the attack as a collaboration of responding agencies that helped prevent more deaths.

Aurora has spent the past five years updating police equipment and training to address many of the issues brought forth that day.

But no amount of equipment, training or reports can stop the memories of that tragic event. And for those involved, from victims’ families to first responders, the incident left an indelible mark on their lives.

A father’s grief

Although five years have passed since the day his son was gunned