Family of quarry shooter expresses condolences

CUPERTINO, Calif. -- The family of the man who shot and killed three colleagues at a Silicon Valley cement plant and wounded six others said Saturday they are shocked and have no explanation for why the shooting happened.

In a statement, Shareef Allman's family called the incident a "horrific tragedy" and expressed their condolences to the victims and their families.

They said the Allman they knew was a loving father and good man.

"There are no words that can express how very sorry we are, or how badly we feel," the statement read.

It was released by Tony Williams, pastor of the Maranatha Christian Center in San Jose. Williams said Allman visited the church, and his family asked that Williams serve as a spokesman. He said the family members did not wish to be identified.

Allman had a son and daughter. He was shot dead by sheriff's deputies Thursday, a day after the shooting at Lehigh Southwest Cement plant, where he worked as a truck driver.

Authorities have not released any details about a possible motive, other than to say that Allman was disgruntled.

Allman's friends and colleagues said he had complained about being treated unfairly by his managers, but still were baffled that he resorted to violence. He was described as a pillar of San Jose's black community, a doting father who penned a novel describing the evils of domestic violence.

His family echoed that sentiment in its statement.

"We are completely shocked and struggle with the events which occurred because the Shareef we knew was a loving father and good man who lived his life helping others, volunteering and advocating for positive change for compelling social issues," they said.

But Allman recently felt he was wronged by a suspension at work following an accident in which he hit a power line while dumping a truck load at the quarry, according to Bill Hoyt, secretary-treasurer of Teamster's Local 287.

Hoyt said Allman visited his labor union offices less than a week before the shooting, saying he was being treated unfairly.

Another longtime friend, Walter Wilson, said Allman complained of racism at work, but he didn't think it was a major issue for him.

"As far as I know he was the only African-American truck driver," Wilson said. "I tried to tell him to go through the process, and he said he felt like he had it under control."

Tom Chizmadia, a spokesman for Lehigh Hanson Inc., the cement plant and quarry's corporate parent, said there was no racial discrimination.

"The company feels very strongly about diversity in the workforce," he said.

While Allman's friends and family were mystified that he could resort to such violence, court documents show that Allman's ex-wife filed for a restraining order against him in 1991.

In the documents, Valerie Allman said Allman hit her on the side of the head with a brass lamp, knocking her unconscious. She also wrote that Allman once became enraged when he couldn't find one of the two guns he kept in the house.

For Rivas, he felt a higher power protected him that day.

Rivas interlocked his fingers, kissed his thumbs and raised his hands to the sky, as he said, "My Lord, my Lord! He put a shell around me like an angel around me."

He later added, "I don't like the human brain anymore. It's infected with evil."